GetEQUAL and Black Lives Matter Activists disrupted Hillary Clinton's Campaign Event

Activists with GetEQUAL and Black Lives Matter disrupted Hillary Clinton’s grassroots campaign event in Cleveland today. They demanded that she divest from private prisons and focus on the safety of Black transgender women.

GetEQUAL posted this statement on their website:

“Bankrolled by private prison companies and lobbyists like Corrections Corporation of America and the GEO Group, Hillary Clinton is part of the system of violence that criminalizes and kills Black trans people -- how can we take her policy suggestions to curb mass incarceration and detention seriously while she’s accepting this money?” asked Angela Peoples, co-director of grassroots LGBTQ network GetEQUAL and a disruptor of the event.

Peoples continued, “These companies and their lobbyists profit from the incarceration and abuse of Black people, especially Black trans women -- an overwhelming 41% of Black trans women report having been arrested at some point in their lives, often after having been profiled by the police.”

“Hillary Clinton must stand with Black people, especially Black trans women, by refusing to accept funds from or bundled by executives of or lobbyists for private prison companies -- and investing the money she’s already accepted from those companies in the work toward Black trans liberation,” said Rian Brown, GetEQUAL state lead and local Cleveland organizer taking part in the disruption. “Until that happens, we cannot for a moment think that Hillary believes Black Lives Matter.”

Brown added: “The actions that took place across the country on Tuesday were a call for cisgender Black folks to show up for Black trans people; we’re here to demand that Clinton divest from private prisons in solidarity with our Black trans family.”

White House Pride Event Interrupted Over LGBTQ Detention

During the White House Pride Event, Trans activist Jennicet Gutiérrez. Jennict interrupted the president over LGBTQ Detention.

Watch


Jennicet was escorted out of the White House. Later, GetEqual released this statement

NO, I am Not a fan of GetEQUAL - My Rant

Here's the truth... I can't with GetEQUAL. I can't.

This particular LGBT activist group has irked for the last 3 years. I have never seen such misguided, short-sided and myopic group in my life. Well, maybe some frats, but they take the cake and mixing bowl too.

Every since they start heckling the President, I just served them the side-eye on the regular.

Now, why do I feel this way?

• Their plans always feels like they thought it up at a Stop sign. There's no sense to it, it's just 'Let's make someone mad' and  then they run off to an event and do it. However, there is no follow-up. They just make a mess and leave it there for someone to clean up.
• Their activists are like a teen cult. They all add 'equality' or 'getequal' as a middle name. It's the kind of shit you do when you join the neighborhood ten-speed bike club as a kid. And they are an annoying bunch of corner-sitters, with no true idea of what it means to be social minded activists.
• They never admit their flaws, even though the WORLD shows them their mess with billboard-size pictures.
• They are not big picture thinkers, they are 'Do it NOW' activists, which serves no one but themselves.
• Their idea of getting attention is heckling... Not policy making, lobbying or educating others. To me, it's a tactic that leads to bullshit. There is no positive outcome to it.
• Their egos are over-inflated. They really think they got rid of DADT. Child please. They just shouted loud and that's it.
• They freak me out because they believe they are right and everyone else is wrong or not 'real activists'.
• They never seem to go after our enemies as hard as our allies. When did GE get into the faces of Boehner, Tony Perkins, Rand Paul or Marco Rubio. I can tell you... NEVER! 

They follow the beat of their own drum. Too bad their drum is being played by broken toy monkey. I just don't understand their logic or their planning processes. They truly irk the Hell out of me and I will never trust anything they have their hands in.

Change.org Petition: GetEQUAL.org: Issue a formal apology to the First Lady Michelle Obama

The backlash is running. Since GetEQUAL refuse to see the flaws in their plan to heckle the First Lady, other gay activists are calling them out.

Yesterday, I saw that a petition was made for GetEQUAL's leaders, Felipe Sousa-Rodriguez and Heather Cronk to formally apology to the First Lady Michelle Obama:

Last Tuesday night a lesbian couple invited the First Lady to speak in their home. The speech was on the importance of the future of our children. GetEQUAL.org sent an activist to heckle the First Lady during her speech. 

Even with an overwhelming number of requests from members of the LBGT community demanding GetEQUAL apologize, Co-Directors Felipe Sousa-Rodriguez and Heather Cronk refuse to do so. Although they state they understand the First Lady is NOT an elected official, they consider her one. 

GetEQUAL is a fringe organization that is in danger of hurting any forward momentum the LBGT has achieved and will hope to achieve in the future. 

Ellen Sturtz, Felipe Sousa-Rodriguez and Heather must apologize for their inappropriate behavior, immediately!

If you are interested in signing, the link is here

WATCH The First Lady Michelle Obama Confront the GetEQUAL's activist Ellen Sturtz

GetEQUAL's Sorry Response to Michelle Obama's Protest

Heckler Ellen Sturtz

WASHINGTON, DC — Tuesday evening at a fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee, organizers with GetEQUAL — a national social justice organization fighting for the full equality of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans — confronted two speakers at the event, DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman-Schultz and First Lady Michelle Obama.

The organizers were advocating for action from the Obama Administration to sign a long-promised Executive Order that would bar any company that contracts with the federal government from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. Then-candidate Barack Obama promised while running for office in 2008 to sign such an order, but has not yet taken action (http://www.metroweekly.com/news/?ak=7139). A federal contractor Executive Order would protect approximately 22% of the American workforce from LGBT workplace discrimination, and has support from the LGBT advocacy community, as well as The New York Times, The Washington Post, 37 U.S. Senators, and 110 U.S. Representatives.

“I lived and worked in the closet, hiding who I was in order to earn a living,” said Ellen Sturtz, who interacted with the First Lady tonight. “I had planned to speak tonight with DNC officials but, as the First Lady was talking about our childrens’ future and ensuring that they have everything they need to live happy and productive lives, I simply couldn’t stay silent any longer. I’m looking ahead at a generation of young people who could live full, honest, and open lives with the stroke of the President’s pen, and I was hoping that the First Lady would share my concern for all of our young people.”

Activists interacted with the First Lady tonight after lobbying President Obama directly over the past year to sign the federal contractor Executive Order. The First Lady employed similar tactics when she was a law student, advocating for causes close to her heart: http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2008/02/16/barack-s-rock.html.

Read the rest after the jump

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Michelle Obama READS GetEqual's Heckler, LISTEN to the Confrontation

Oooh, I wish I was there to see this.

Last night at a fundraiser, First Lady Michelle Obama was heckled by an GetEqual activist, Ellen Sturtz, because President Obama hasn't signed an executive order banning federal contractors from discriminating against LGBT employees.

Well, we know how the President deals with hecklers. But Mrs. Obama... She don't play. She read that woman.

Buzzfeed reports:

Most notable part of the event was an interruption from a protester about 12 minutes into the 20-minute speech. A pro-LGBT rights individual standing at the front began shouting for an executive order on gay rights. (Pool did not hear exactly what.) 

“One of the things I don’t do well is this,” replied FLOTUS to loud applause. She left the lectern and moved over to the protester, saying they could “listen to me or you can take the mic, but I’m leaving. You all decide. You have one choice.” 

Crowd started shouting that they wanted FLOTUS to stay. 

“You need to go!” said one woman near the protester. 

The protester was then escorted out, shouting “…lesbian looking for federal equality before I die.” (First part of the quote was inaudible.) Pool could not get their name before they were taken out. 

“So let me make the point that I was making before,” continued FLOTUS. “We are here for our kids. So we must recapture that passion. That same urgency and energy that we felt back in 2008, 2012. Understand this — this is what I want you all to understand. This is not about us. No one back here. It’s not about you or you or your issue or your thing. This is about our children.” 

Loud applause in response to this comment.

The funny thing about this whole thing was Ellen's response.

“She came right down in my face,” Sturtz said. “I was taken aback.”

Really? Ellen, you made the choice to 'protest'. You made a choice to speak your mind. How are you going to be shocked she read you, after you showed out like that?

Girl, realtalk... You were lucky. Because in the streets, you would've got your wig snatched.

So, Ellen Sturtz, you learned something new from the First Lady yesterday: Don't come for her, unless She send for you.

UPDATE here's the audio

GetEqual crashes the Values Voter Summit

Every once in a while, GetEqual does something I approve of. This is one of those things



Watch the other two parts after the jump

10 Things I learned from some Members of GetEQUAL

So over at Bilerico Project, I wrote a piece that questioned GetEQUAL's ideas. It started with an article with one of their directors talking about protesting President Obama. Well, I thought it was silly of them to waste all that money and resources attacking him and leaving our enemies home free.

After my post hit, they got mad at me. I didn't care, I knew they would. However, during this back and forth, I learned a lot about dealing with these folks.

1. They use quotes from civil rights leaders like they are spells. I felt like I was Nancy from "The Craft" getting some binding spell thrown on me.
2. If you question their tactics or strategy, then you are insulting them in a Klingon kind of way. It's blasphemy to question GetEQUAL's skills. If you read some their responses, they claimed they were insulted. Personally, I thought those parts were funny.
3. They love using GetEQUAL as their middle names. A bit cult-ish, but if I could, I would put Louis Vuitton as a middle name.
4. If you quote one of their leaders/directors from any media, disregard it. According to GetEQUAL, you have to 2nd guess that statement and find one of the members to clarify it. Basically, if I'm told to 2nd guess your leadership, then that spells DISORGANIZATION.
5. A bunch of angry activists doesn't ensure leadership.
6. They suffer from the worst case of tunnel vision.
7. GetEQUAL has protested the president more than any of our opponents.
8. In fact, they have staged sit-ins and interruption to our biggest allies, but to our enemies, they just shouted outside of their events. EX: They protest outside of Rick Perry's prayer event. It seems they show our enemies a little more respect.
9. They gave me so much flak, but no answers.
10. They need strong leadership to keep them in line. If they don't get it together, they will be gone in 5 years.

VIDEO: Michele Bachmann Glitter Bombed by Get Equal

Get Equal glitter bombed Miss Bachmann while she's here for the Anti-Netroots Nation.

Here's there press release on the matter

Following a speech in her home state, pro-LGBT activists added Michele Bachmann to the list of Republican presidential candidates who have been “glittered” to draw attention to their grave and hurtful anti-gay rhetoric.


Shortly after a speech at the RightOnline conference, pro-LGBT activist Rachel E. B. Lang approached Bachmann, threw glitter in the air, and said, “You can run, but you cannot hide! Keep your hate out of our Constitution!” — a reference to the “You Can Run But You Cannot Hide” ministry for which Bachmann has helped raise money [1] and to a proposed ban on same-sex marriage in Minnesota. The ministry, a brainchild of rabidly anti-gay Bradley Dean, charges thousands of dollars to speak at public school assemblies and evangelize young people based on a shocking and offensive anti-gay program.


Bradlee Dean, the ministry’s founder and chief evangelist, was invited to give the opening prayer during the recent Minnesota legislative session that considered putting an anti-gay marriage amendment on the 2012 ballot. The prayer was so offensive that it was denounced by both Republicans and Democrats, and the house chaplain was asked to give another prayer immediately afterward. The ministry often charges thousands of dollars to speak at public school assemblies, which have routinely drawn criticism for its over-the-top evangelism and have even caused school principals to call follow-up assemblies to apologize to students. [2]


Bachmann has a long history of anti-gay rhetoric [3] and mainstream media outlets are starting to pick up on her extremist viewpoints. [4]


“My response to Michele Bachmann’s hateful and anti-gay rhetoric was light-hearted, but these issues are very serious,” said Minnesota resident Rachel E. B. Lang, today’s glitterer. “Bachmann’s support of groups like You Can Run But You Cannot Hide show exactly how extremist she is — she in no way represents the values of Minnesota and certainly does not represent the values of America.”

WATCH


via Good As You

The DADT Protesters may go to JAIL

Remember the DADT protesters? Dan Choi and the Get Equal folks chained themselves to the White House fence to get the president's attention. Well, it got the court attention and 13 of those folks could be heading to jail.

Thirteen activists arrested last fall for chaining themselves to the White House fence in opposition to the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy are scheduled to appear in federal court Friday.
The group — including gay rights leaders, a Catholic priest and eight veterans discharged for breaking the ban on openly gay and lesbian troops — were arrested Nov. 15 and previously declined to plead guilty to violating the orders of a federal law enforcement officer. The charge carries a maximum six-month jail sentence.

It’s the first time since at least 2006 that protesters have faced the charge, according to Bill Miller, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

Mark Goldstone, the group’s attorney, said his research suggests it’s the first time prosecutors have ever used the charge against protesters at federal sites anywhere in the District.

“Of all the locations to get arrested at in D.C., one would think that the White House location would be where you’re most likely to get prosecuted,” but prosecutors are more likely to press charges against protesters outside the Capitol or Supreme Court, Goldstone said Thursday.

While not unusual, arresting protesters for chaining themselves to the White House fence is not as common as other First Amendment exercises on federal property in the District, according to the U.S. Park Police. Protesters are more commonly charged with violating regulations pertaining to the area, number of participants, and size of signs used in demonstrations, according to Sgt. David Schlosser, a Park Police spokesman.

To be honest, this shouldn't be a surprise. I remember them citing MLK as they were bound to the fence.  Well, MLK got arrested lots of times during his protesting days. So if they are found guilty, they can say they are in jail for justice.

GetEQUALprotest the White House Again... 13 arrested

It is DADT Monday, 13 people were arrested for chaining themselves to the White House. 

Three generations of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell activists participated in this monumental action.  Their names: Lt. Dan Choi, Petty Officer Autumn Sandeen, Cpl. Evelyn Thomas, Cadet Mara Boyd, Robin McGehee (co-founder and director of GetEQUAL), Dan Fotou (action strategist for GetEQUAL), Former U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Miriam Ben-Shalom, Former U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant Justin Elzie, Former U.S. Army Arabic Linguist Ian Finkenbinder, U.S. Army Veteran and Repeal Advocate Rob Smith, Father Geoff Farrow (Catholic priest), Scott Wooledge (New York-based LGBT civil rights advocate and blogger), and Michael Bedwell (LGBT civil rights advocate).

“I feel we have come to a critical juncture where we need leadership from Obama and Senator Reid to get rid of this horrible policy.  I am here today because being the first Marine discharged under this policy I feel we need to send a signal to the White House and the Senate to finally do the right thing for LGBT servicemembers and pass the repeal in the Defense Authorization Bill,” says Justin Elzie, the first Marine discharged under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, to Talk About Equality.

For more, go here

Shocker! GetEQUAL protest against Obama

Lord...

From The Advocate

A group of LGBT equality activists working to end “don’t ask, don’t tell” launched an elaborate protest early Monday evening as President Barack Obama attended a private Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee fund-raiser in Miami at the home of NBA star Alonzo Mourning.

As the president headed toward Mourning’s Coconut Grove residence, where donors had paid as much as $5,000 and $18,000 per person to see him, members of GetEqual, a national LGBT rights organization, along with local activists lined the street holding four 10-foot signs that read “End the Discharges Now” and “We’ll Give When We GetEQUAL” – a reference to the group’s recent campaign encouraging people not to donate money to either the Democratic or Republican parties or their campaign committees until the president signs an executive order immediately stopping the discharges.

The group tipped off reporters and photographers from the Associated Press and the local NBC affiliate, who were stationed at the entrance of Mourning’s residence at the exclusive Coral Gables Estates on Alveda Parkway.

Since Mourning's mansion abuts the bay, GetEqual also launched three boats containing activists equipped with signs and bullhorns, which they used to shout chants during president's speech. Additionally, they released into the air four "cloud buster" balloons with 10-foot-long banners reading "GetEQUAL.org" that had been tethered to the sides of the boats. 

Wonderful, with Carl Paladino going on TV saying all types of stuff against us. When Rubin Diaz Sr. continues to win elections, when other GOP leaders deny anti-bullying laws, NOM and other groups are funding anti-gay candidates and a GOP team filibustering any attempt for gay rights. They keep going after the president....

In the words of Evil Willow: 

GetEQUAL vs DNC

This needs to cease

DNC Vice Chair Raymond Buckley was wrong for that email, but it was funny as Hell.

GetEQUAL New Thing: We'll Give When We Get EQUAL

Here is a press release of their new initiative: 

GetEQUAL has launched a campaign called "We'll Give When We GetEQUAL," asking LGBT Americans and straight allies to withhold time and money from political entities that are not fighting as hard for our equality as they are for our checkbooks.


We're not the first ones to voice frustration with both Democrats and Republicans for holding our equality hostage (see here, here, and here). And we're not going away -- despite the efforts of Democratic apologists who continue to raise the specter of President Palin to scare us into donating.


Are we asking you not to vote? Absolutely not -- too many social movements have fought for that hard-earned right that must not be thrown away. Are we asking you not to donate or support pro-equality candidates? That's up to you -- there are several pro-equality candidates that need support, especially because they are minority voices in their party.


Are we asking you to withhold money and time from those who refuse to find concrete ways to work toward our collective equality? YES!


Our tolerance and patience -- while we lose our jobs, are denied our right to marry, are forbidden to serve our country openly, and are forced to watch our youth kill themselves because they have no dignity or hope -- is gone. We are asking you to withhold your support from political parties and committees until President Obama, the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, takes the first step toward LGBT equality and signs an Executive Order to IMMEDIATELY halt all military discharges of lesbian, gay, and bisexual soldiers.


Why continue to organize on behalf of politicians when we need to be organizing for ourselves?

My view: What is the plan for the money withheld? And if the Dems fail and we get the blame, how do we answer for that? We didn't get what WE wanted so, sorry for you? That could have huge setbacks for us.

Plus, it wouldn't have much of an impact. The DNC raised another record amount of money, $16 million bucks. And guess how, fundraisers by Obama and donations. I hate to say this, but jobs and the economy is taking center stage for most Americans. We have to recognize that. How about providing a list of the strong LGBT friendly candidates to help us make wise choices.

Withholding money is a strong message, but I think it has an impact as a whisper in a LV sale at Bloomingdales.

GetEQUAL plans Another Pelosi Protest

This is becoming a relationship, don't you think?

GetEQUAL is planning to protest Nancy Pelosi. Here is their press release:

“Why is the Speaker of the House, who hails from the gayest city in America, blocking legislation that protects lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender workers from workplace discrimination? Every day we live without the passage of ENDA is another day Congress turns a blind eye to discrimination against the LGBT community,” said Gabriel Haaland, spokesperson for Pride at Work and city-wide elected DCCC Committee Member. “Most LGBT workers have no protections from workplace discrimination. ENDA would provide legal protection against discrimination nationally. Speaker Pelosi has repeatedly promised to schedule a vote on ENDA, but has yet to fulfill those promises. The time to pass ENDA is now. The overwhelming majority of Americans support it; the politicians promised it. No more broken promises. We demand that Speaker Pelosi stop blocking ENDA and schedule a vote, now.”

I do understand getting the word out, but I wish, I really wish they would go after some of these anti-gay candidates that are running for office. THEY need to feel the heat!

WATCH Wonder Kid, Will Phillips speak at the "Big Commit" Rally in D.C.

UPDATE: GetEQUAL shut down of the Capitol Rotunda

See the protest below


Metro Weekly has the deal:

A little before noon today, July 28, eight individuals associated with Get Equal, who had been taking an ordinary tour of the U.S. Capitol, began a protest once they reached the Capitol Rotunda. As statues of Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and others surrounded them -- including a bust of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. -- the eight were arrested within an hour for "Unlawful Conduct - Demonstrating in the Capitol Building," according to the U.S. Capitol Police.

At first, the eight stood silent in the middle of the Rotunda with signs serving as a "reminder" to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D) that she had promised a vote on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act this year. The eight then, as the Rotunda was being cleared of visitors and media, sat down, began pounding the marble floor and chanting for a vote on ENDA.

"Speaker Pelosi, I am somebody," the eight chanted, "And I deserve job protection, right here, right now."

Those arrested, according to Get Equal, were Orelia Busch, Charles Butler, Sean Carlson, Shannon Cuttle, Robby Diesu, Erica Knapp, David McElhatton and Zack Rosen of the blog The New Gay.

Okay, but I want to see this action done to our enemies too. I haven't seen much of that yet.

RIGHT NOW! GetEQUAL has shut down the Capitol Rotunda protesting Speaker Pelosi on ENDA

More on this later.

The pic from Chris Geidner's Twitter

An Open Letter to Nancy Pelosi about ENDA

Several LGBT orgs wrote a letter to Nancy Pelosi about putting ENDA on the floor.

Here it is:

From San Francisco Pride at Work, One Struggle, One Fight, GetEqual, Harvey Milk Democratic Club, Transgender Law Center, National Center for Lesbian Rights, El / La, and National Pride at Work

An Open Letter to the House Speaker on ENDA

We are writing to express how extremely troubled we are that the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) has not yet been scheduled for a vote by the full House of Representatives. We believe a floor vote must be scheduled for ENDA immediately.

It would be devastating for LGBT workers for this Congress to not complete its work on ENDA before the end of this session. ENDA would be historic in the number of LGBT people who would benefit from its passage. During this economic crisis, it is more important than ever to prohibit the often impoverishing effects of workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

Most LGBT workers have no protections from workplace discrimination. ENDA would provide legal protection against discrimination nationally. Over and over we have been promised that a vote would be scheduled on ENDA, and these promises have been repeatedly broken. In 29 states, it is still legal to fire someone solely because they are lesbian, gay or bisexual. And in 38 states it is legal to fire someone solely for being transgender. The current version of the bill would outlaw discrimination on both sexual orientation and gender identity.

A 2006 study by the San Francisco Bay Guardian and the Transgender Law Center found that 60 percent of transgender people in San Francisco earn less than $15,300 per year, only 25 percent have a full-time job and nearly 9 percent have no source of income.

Only 4 percent reported making more than $61,200, which is about the median income in the Bay Area. More than half of local transgender people live in poverty, and 96 percent earn less than the median income. Forty percent of those surveyed don't even have a bank account. What this study reveals is that even in a city that is considered a haven for the LGBT community, transgender workers face profound employment challenges and discrimination.

A 2007 meta-analysis from the Williams Institute of 50 studies of workplace discrimination against LGBT people found consistent evidence of bias in the workplace. The analysis found that up to 68 percent of LGBT people reported experiencing employment discrimination, and up to 17 percent said they had been fired or denied employment.

Public opinion polling shows that Americans are overwhelmingly in favor of making sure LGBT Americans get the same employment opportunities as everyone else. In fact, the latest surveys shows that nearly 90% of Americans support workplace fairness for LGBT workers.

As you know, in a few weeks, Congress will finish it's legislative business for the year so that they can return to their districts to run for re-election. Last month at a LGBT Pride event, Congresswoman Jackie Spier announced to the LGBT community that not only would we not get ENDA before the end of the legislative session, that she did not think we would get it for five years because we won't have enough votes in Congress again to ensure passage. It is ironic that Congress plans on leaving town and going home to campaign for their own jobs while leaving thousands of LGBT workers without protections for the next five years. When 90% of Americans support workplace fairness, it is challenging to believe that anyone fears a backlash from the voters. The time to pass ENDA is now. The American people support it, the politicians promised it. No more broken promises. We demand that a vote be scheduled now.

Sincerely,

SF Pride at Work, One Struggle, One Fight, GetEqual, Harvey Milk Democratic Club, Transgender Law Center, National Center for Lesbian Rights, El / La and National Pride at Work

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