Obama Admin to ensure inclusion of the LGBT community in HUD programs

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Yeh, yeh, yeh. How last century! So get off your ass, Barry, and "use the bully pulpit/put the full weight of [your] administration behind"

1. ENDA
2. DADT repeal
3. DOMA repeal
4. fairness for gay families in state law

You know....LIKE YOU PROMISED!

Each of them would benefit FAR more LGBTs than the few who might be denied housing controlled by HUD.

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by: Michael Bedwell @ Wed Oct 21, 2009 at 20:58:51 PM CDT

My What Pretty Window Dressing. . .

but behind the curtains remains the ugly antiquated window into the world of bigotry and apartheid called DOMA and DADT.

"Democrats put out one hand to ask for money, and with the other they stab you in the back." -Steven Goldstein, Garden State Equality

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by: JohnVisser @ Wed Oct 21, 2009 at 21:10:17 PM CDT

So something that specifically...

helps working class and poor LGBT folks is "window dressing?"

This is precisely the reason why so many in the LGBT community cannot be taken seriously when they talk about "equality."

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by: SciFi Geek @ Thu Oct 22, 2009 at 08:55:32 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

@ privileged white gay men who look down their noses at this press release:

I know some older lesbians in HUD housing. I'm glad the Obama administration is addressing these issues.

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by: Pollyanna @ Thu Oct 22, 2009 at 00:24:04 AM CDT

two responses don't equal what gay white men privlidged or not think

I know plenty of disabled white men in public housing living with AIDS, so don't lump us all together.

"race, taste. and History finally overcome....and you ain't there"
by Tony Kushner

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by: peteyPornpig @ Thu Oct 22, 2009 at 00:49:12 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

The comment did not say...

ALL privlidged white gay men. However, the fact that some people look down their noses at a policy change that targets the poorer members of the LGBT "community" says alot about the HUGE class divide.

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by: SciFi Geek @ Thu Oct 22, 2009 at 08:58:30 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

In other words....

I know some older lesbians in HUD housing.

In other words, they were NOT denied HUD housing. Doesn't mean it doesn't happen, but O Inc. is still shining a small light [a STUDY] on a small problem while ignoring the big ones.

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by: Michael Bedwell @ Thu Oct 22, 2009 at 01:21:22 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Does it make you feel privileged?

Does it make you feel privileged to have a class of people to insult?

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by: TrumpetDC @ Thu Oct 22, 2009 at 01:24:25 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Maybe is they did not...

act like idiots and demand that the whole world revolve around them...they might not get insulted.

Furthermore, the comment in question was rather specific as to whom it was addressed.  

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by: SciFi Geek @ Thu Oct 22, 2009 at 09:01:15 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

SPOT ON!!!

Here's a policy change that is not immediately beneficial to upper class LGBTs...so it get belittled.

Its rather sad that I cannot say that I'm shocked. Indeed, it seems all to typical.

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by: SciFi Geek @ Thu Oct 22, 2009 at 09:04:34 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Hey guys? Stop the bitching and get behind this one. This is really important.

1. This is a proposed rule. If enough bigots wail and scream and stomp their feet during the comment period, it won't happen. I'm sure that Secretary Donovan would be pleased to hear from us about this, particularly if at any time we have received housing assistance or subsidies. So send emails and letters to HUD with stories of how important this is!

2. CAUTION: It is only an Agency rule. Rules change with every Administration. Do not expect this to still be there in 2013. HOWEVER. A federal study into how we are discriminated against in housing can lead to inclusion of housing in the definition of ENDA. Employment is all well and good, but finding a safe, affordable place to live is the other half of the equation. This is only a proposed rule. Enshrining anti-discrimination law with regard to housing in the federal code? Way better. One of the best ways to drum up support for that in Congress? A national study by HUD and multiple statewide studies illustrating the need.

3. require grantees and those who participate in the Department's programs to comply with local and state non-discrimination laws that cover sexual orientation or gender identity; and

And what about those states that DON'T have those local and state non-discrimination laws? Too bad, so sad? Let's go back to #2, housing-inclusive ENDA!

I'm so very glad to see the Administration actually looking out for the welfare of the most vulnerable among us, those of us on housing assistance. This, far more so than federal-level u-haul reimbursements, is a tangible piece of federal action that will help couples in real financial trouble.

HUD's Housing Opportunities for People With AIDS (HOPWA)

Federal funding by state of HOPWA.

HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan's remarks at HUD's Pride month

Secretary Donovan seems like a not-so-bad kind of guy. I think we ought to get behind this full force. As Pollyanna says, a lot of us live in public housing, which is run by the state. In states where it's legal to discriminate in housing, we face real problems in finding safe, affordable places to live. And think, how could this help set the stage for more protections and aid programs for homeless LGBT youth? Homelessness in the youth population is dealt with largely at the state level. Consider that the highest percentage of homeless youth in Utah, for example, are LGBT kids kicked out of their home. They certainly won't find any help from local HUD offices!

God save ornery old queens! - kevinchi

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by: Keori @ Thu Oct 22, 2009 at 01:07:08 AM CDT

I was going to comment last night

but I decided to wait and read the comments.

This is nothing to snooze at other than the fact that it's another commission to study the issue and not action.

Ask an older white, lower class man with HIV in, say, Arkansas how he feels about this. Or a black transwoman.

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by: kevinchi @ Thu Oct 22, 2009 at 07:25:39 AM CDT

Its more than another commission...

Its a proposed rule change. That means that there will be 30 to 90 days of discussion (and time for the public to comment) and they they put the reccomendation into practice.

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by: SciFi Geek @ Thu Oct 22, 2009 at 09:07:39 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Ask an LGBT senior

Thanks to hideously unfair taxation laws, and barred access to spousal pensions and Social Security, more and more LGBT seniors are living in poverty. The San Francisco Human Rights Commission 2003 report on LGBT aging has some shocking figures of homelessness.

The SF HRC report can be found here is anyone is interested.

God save ornery old queens! - kevinchi

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by: Keori @ Thu Oct 22, 2009 at 10:28:13 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

exactly!

just because someone is an lgbt senior (of whatever race) doesn't mean that he is middle or upper middle class

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by: kevinchi @ Thu Oct 22, 2009 at 10:55:44 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Seniors (but off topic)

I posted about this about a week ago the local LGBT group in Baton Rouge is collecting oral Histories of our LGBT seniors (which I thought was very cool, especially for BR.) Any seniors at the blend might consider a diary to share their stories here. You lived through the birth of our movement, and many through feminist and Civil Rights movements too, it'd be good to hear your first person accounts.
btw I only missed the age cut off by 4 years....yikes.

"race, taste. and History finally overcome....and you ain't there"
by Tony Kushner

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by: peteyPornpig @ Thu Oct 22, 2009 at 11:04:55 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

This is an issue that is only going to get worse

Data from the 2000 census indicates that LGBT seniors have almost 35% less retirement income than their straight, married counterparts. Almost 60% are still paying mortagages on homes, and this is in a time of high foreclosure rates! What happens when they lose their home, or are too impoverished to afford safe housing?

This is also relevant to hospice care, which HHS MUST address. When a senior LGBT couple needs nursing home or hospice care, many facilities will not allow them to live together because they aren't legally married, and it is far too easy for their extended families to swoop in, place them in separate facilities, and leave them to rot.

Hospice care and housing for impoverished, chronically ill, HIV+, and elderly LGBTs is one of the areas in which we fare the worst. And because it's not a "sexy" issue, it often gets overlooked.

Think about it: what does America do to LGBT people? It sexualizes us. We are turned into purely sexual beings, without the need for things like long-term care. Elderly people are de-sexualized, so LGBT seniors fall out of our community when they need us most. So they fall in with the elderly community. But they are still discriminated against in hospice by straight seniors of the pre-Stonewall generation, and by homophobic and hateful "caregivers," such as the nurse's aide in Virginia who refused to bathe a lesbian resident.

The work being done by HUD will establish the basis for more equitable housing for LGBT people in poverty. HHS's Administration on Aging, under Secretary Sebelius, is establishing a specific section to see to the needs of LGBT seniors.

This problem won't go away. As more and more Boomers retire, it will only get worse.

God save ornery old queens! - kevinchi

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by: Keori @ Thu Oct 22, 2009 at 13:11:36 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

This is a problem that was not anticipated by our community

the issues of our elderly population.

I've read a few articles about this...many of the stories of elderly care in the LGBT community (especially those in hospice care) are flat out the saddest stories that I have ever read.

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by: kevinchi @ Thu Oct 22, 2009 at 13:15:17 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

I can't recall the movie might have been "If These Walls Could Talk"

Two senior lesbians being seperated when one has to go to a nursing home and the other has to go live with her son's family, and their last night together holding each other.
Just broke your heart.

"race, taste. and History finally overcome....and you ain't there"
by Tony Kushner

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by: peteyPornpig @ Thu Oct 22, 2009 at 13:22:24 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

wasn't if these walls could talk, but similar

An elderly couple, Edith (Vanessa Redgrave) and Abby (Marian Seldes) sit in a cinema watching lesbian-themed film The Children's Hour. A couple walks out of the theater in disgust at the film, and a group of kids laugh when they see Edith and Abby holding hands. Later at the home they have shared for 30 years, Abby falls from a ladder. At the hospital, doctors tell Edith that Abby may have suffered a stroke. Edith spends the night in the waiting room and in the morning she learns that Abby died during the night.

Edith telephones Abby's nephew, Ted (Paul Giamatti), to tell him the news. Before Ted and his family come for the funeral, Edith removes all traces that they were a couple. She makes it look like they had separate bedrooms and removes photographs of the two of them together. At the house afterwards, Ted and Edith talk about the fact that the house was in Abby's name. Although Edith contributed equally to the mortgage, she legally owns no part of it. As Alice packs up Abby's belongings, Ted tells Edith that he would consider letting Edith staying in the house and paying him rent. Edith tells him that Abby would have wanted her to stay in the house, as that was what they always talked about. Ted eventually tells her that it would be better if he sells the house and she finds a place of her own. The family leaves, with Ted telling Edith that he will be in touch in a couple of weeks to discuss what she is going to do.
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I...

"race, taste. and History finally overcome....and you ain't there"
by Tony Kushner

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by: peteyPornpig @ Thu Oct 22, 2009 at 13:26:49 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

here's a story

http://ebar.com/news/article.p...

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by: kevinchi @ Thu Oct 22, 2009 at 13:20:49 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

'Invisible And Overlooked'

A growing population of lesbian and gay senior citizens seeks recognition for their unique needs and challenges.

By Jessica Bennett
   http://www.newsweek.com/id/159509
found this while searching for that lesbian movie title

"race, taste. and History finally overcome....and you ain't there"
by Tony Kushner

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by: peteyPornpig @ Thu Oct 22, 2009 at 13:32:57 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

this looks like a good senior lesbian link too

   http://www.blogcatalog.com/top...
and this too
   http://www.blogcatalog.com/blo...
here's a film that sounded good from a 2008 film fest

A PLACE TO LIVE (USA) "It's a perfect storm of high land value and low median income. We're in the midst of one of the worst housing crises in modern history." So says talking-head Councilman Eric Garcetti in this documentary about the struggle by queer senior citizens to find housing in Los Angeles. Director Carolyn Coal follows seven elderly gays and lesbians from the time they first hear about the building of a housing complex for senior LGBT folk in early 2006, through the excruciating wait a year later to hear if they've won the lottery for admittance. As the seniors share their stories of illness, poverty and homophobia, they prove themselves heroes and heroines whose humor and resilience are as inspiring as their hardships are heart piercing. (Fairfax, Sat., July 12, noon.) (EH)
   http://blogs.myspace.com/aplac...

"race, taste. and History finally overcome....and you ain't there"
by Tony Kushner

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by: peteyPornpig @ Thu Oct 22, 2009 at 13:41:46 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

This is so FDR...

with the Southern Dems in the Senate threatening filibusters over things like anti-lynching legiislation, FDR couldn't address black civil rights (i.e. desegregation of the military). It was commissions and studies and actions like this that improved the economic lot of black Americans  and paved the way for civil rights.

Thing is, I don't think that Obama has the opposition that FDR had at this time.

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by: kevinchi @ Thu Oct 22, 2009 at 07:38:43 AM CDT

My final comment on this...

Some people are so good at knee-jerk reactions they should audition for the Radio City Rockettes.

1. I am personally, intimately familiar with poverty, thank you very much. Raise your hand if you've ever seen the shame on your mother's face having to ask for "government cheese."

2. I never wrote that this effort was a bad thing, only an inadequate thing. [Nor am I suggesting that others are asserting it is adequate.]

3. We are at the mercy, or lack there of, of another President who rode to power, in part, on the gilded promises he made to the LGBT community. Some may be too young to remember what the warning signs of betrayal smell like from 16-yrs. ago but some of those that aren't need to have their olfactory senses checked. As I've written before, during the campaign Barack Obama recalled the story of FDR's response to black civil rights icon A. Philip Randolph's call to the President's conscience for help for his people: "I agree with you...now, go out and make me do it."

Mr. Obama urged his listeners to do the same to him. 40 years after Stonewall, any time we do not couple acknowledgement of something he does right with a reminder of how much more that both needs to be done and he promised to do is to betray our own people. I refuse to play the puppy ecstatically licking his master's face for a tiny bone when the feast remains locked inside the house.

4. Kev's observation about different times is a kind understatement. Homophobia, even transphobia, doesn't come close to the depths and breadth of the publicly-proud racism that FDR [and Truman] faced, and Randolph, endured. In the three-day 1943 "race riot" in Detroit, "Over the course of three days, 34 people were killed, 25 of whom were African Americans [17 by the police]. Out of the approximately 600 injured, blacks accounted for more than 75 percent, and of the roughly 1,800 people who were arrested, blacks accounted for 85 percent." Where are today's "Straights Only" water fountains, restrooms, theatres, ad infinitum? Ever hear a straight person on a bus demand an LGBT's seat? Find me a codicil to a house that says that it can't be sold to an LGBT. Etc., etc.

Of course, there is still discrimination against LGBs and/or Ts. It is a matter of policy in the military, and still legal in some 20 states to fire/refuse to hire gays, and more re Ts. Marriage equality is banned in most states. Etc. But the obstacles to fixing them rest more within the White House and Congress than society and I will not remain silent.

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by: Michael Bedwell @ Thu Oct 22, 2009 at 11:30:55 AM CDT

I resemble that remark

   http://media.timeoutnewyork.co...

CHEESE....seriously, have to borrow from your family to cremate your lover.

"race, taste. and History finally overcome....and you ain't there"
by Tony Kushner

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by: peteyPornpig @ Thu Oct 22, 2009 at 12:10:09 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

I agree with most of this, MB

Of course, if Obama was talking abt. including LGBT's in whatever title of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 pertaining to housing, then we would be talking about something major.

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by: kevinchi @ Thu Oct 22, 2009 at 12:16:59 PM CDT

[ Parent ]