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November 17-30, 2011 | www.sfbaytimes.com
The LGBTQ Newspaper and Events Calendar for the San Francisco Bay Area | July 28 2011
Baldwin Respect for Marriage Act Passes Senate Committee Feds Ramp Up Campaign Picking War on Medical Up Steam Marijuana
Openly gay Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) is running for the U.S. Senate in Wisconsin.
By Kirsten Kruse Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), is running for the U.S. Senate and her numbers are looking good. Her campaign raised $738,000 in the 3rd quarter, and now has $1.5 million cash-on-hand. More than $625,000 of those Q3 contributions came after she announced that she was running. 91 percent of donors contributed less than $100, indicating that she has large grassroots support among the middle class Americans she has fought for during her political career. Mother Jones estimates that it takes $8.5 million to finance a senate race, but it is still early in the campaign. Baldwin’s top donors are Emily’s List, the employees of the University of Wisconsin, and the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, closely followed by an array of unions.
The Respect for Marriage Act, which will repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) has passed the Senate Judiciary Committee.
By Dennis McMillan After about two hours of discussion, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 10-8 along party lines to approve the “Respect for Marriage Act,” which would repeal the “Defense of Marriage Act” (also known as “DOMA”) of 1996 that banned federal recognition of same-sex marriage. In addition to repealing DOMA, the Respect for Marriage Act would add a provision in law to guarantee that the federal government would recognize the marriage of any couple “valid in the state where the marriage was entered into” - even if the couple moves to a state where the marriage is not recognized.
“This historic vote moves us one step closer to doing away with the injustice of the Defense of Marriage Act,” said Equality California Chair Clarissa Filgioun. “Each day that loving, committed same-sex couples in this country are denied the freedom to marry, these couples and their families experience real harms that can have devastating consequences.” She emphasized, “It’s time for Congress to end this cruel exclusion and ensure that all couples who have made a commitment to care for one another and share their lives together are treated with dignity and respect.” Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, said, “We
thank the members of the Judiciary Committee who stood up for LGBT families and part icularly thank Chairman Leahy and Senator Feinstein for their leadership in fighting this unjust law.” He added, “It was a huge step in our fight to end this discriminatory law.” He noted that just before the debate, HRC handdelivered 135,000 petitions calling for repeal. It is no surprise that every committee Democrat favored appeal, and every Republican opposed it. This means that the only immediate effect is political, whereby Democrats can show part of their liberal base of backers (continued on page 4}
Barbara Grier, 1933 - 2011
Baldwin, who is openly gay, was recently endorsed by liberal icon and former Senator Russ Feingold, who lost his seat in the 2010 election. Feingold announced this summer that he would not run and split the democratic vote in the primary. With his endorsement, she has the united support of Wisconsin democrats, and will therefore be more likely to optimize fundraising. Baldwin has also been endorsed by Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI), who is the second woman and the first AfricanAmerican elected to Congress from Wisconsin, as well as the Human Rights Campaign, NOW and Emily’s List, an organization dedicated to electing pro-choice Democratic women to every level of office. Emily’s list has historically been Baldwin’s number one contributor. Although she has no serious contenders within her own party, she will face a huge challenge from a Republican candidate next in November 2012. Wisconsin voters are almost evenly divided between the two parties and is considered a blue swing state. When asked by Rachel Maddow why she thought she had a chance at a Senate win, Baldwin said that this country is engulfed in an “epic struggle for the survival of the middle class.” She added that “people need a voice in (continued on page 9)
Grier with other founders of NAIAD press, including her Barbara Grier donated her massive collection of lesbian-themed books partner Donna McBride. to San Francisco Public Library.
By Dayna Verstegen Barbara Grier was born in Cincinnati and came out of the closet at the age of 12. When she told her mother that she was a homosexual, her mother, who came from a theatrical family and therefore took a more enlightened view of sexuality than most at the time, said “No, because you are a woman, you’re a lesbian. And since 12 years old is too young to make such a decision, let’s wait six months before we tell the newspapers.” In their remembrance of Grier, Lambda Literary wrote, “She had a f lamboyant upbringing with an actress mother and a ne’re-do-well doctor father. Her younger sister, Diane, was also a lesbian, a fact Barbara sometimes attributed to how strongly feminist her mother was and other
times to genetics. Barbara said of Diane, ‘She’s just like me, except nice. I’m the evil twin.’” Grier was a ferocious reader and book collector. In fact, The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall was the first book of her lesbian book collection. By 1992, the collection totaled 14,000 books worth $400,000 and Grier donated it to the San Francisco Public Library. She began her writing career in 1957 with book reviews for the Daughters of Bilitis’ magazine The Ladder. She wrote under various pen names including Gene Damon, Lennox Strong and Vern Niven. She became the editor of The Ladder in 1968 and publisher in 1970. Lambda Literary reported that “The Ladder started with a mailing list of 175 friends and cohorts
of the five women – Martin, Lyon, Grier, Helen Sandoz and Barbara Gittings – who had built what was the first lesbian magazine in the U.S. After Grier took the helm, the publication expanded. She nearly doubled the content and page count–from less than 30 pages to 48. By the time she and The Ladder parted company in 1972, the mailing list had expanded to 3,800 names. Grier made the magazine more newsy, more feminist and, some said, more controversial.” According to the LA Times, “when she tried to give the magazine a more feminist orientation, its benefactor withdrew funding and the publication closed in 1972.” Grier and her partner Donna McBride, as well as Ladder editors Anyda Marchant and Muriel Crawford, founded Naiad Press in 1973 with (continued on page 21
Dale Gieringer is the Executive Director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.
By Dennis McMillan In yet another attack by the Obama administration on medical marijuana, US attorneys in California have sent out a series of letters threatening landlords with property forfeiture for renting their property to dispensaries deemed too close to “sensitive areas” such as schools and parks. Prominent among the targets is the state’s longest-operating dispensary, the Marin A lliance for Medical Marijuana (MAMM) in Fairfax, which enjoys official support from the city and has been operating without complaint since July 3, 1996. In a threatening letter to MAMM’s landlord, the US Attorney for Northern California warned that MAMM was operating within a “prohibited distance of a park.” It goes on to warn the landlord that he could be liable for imprisonment of up to 40 years, forfeiture of the property, and forfeiture of all rental proceeds from the last 15 years for violating federal law if MAMM isn’t evicted. Other dispensary landlords in the state have received threatening federal letters for operating too close to schools, even though they are abiding with state regulations. Under state law, dispensaries are forbidden to operate within 600 feet of schools, the same distance as liquor stores. However, a federal law, Title 21 USC 860, imposes additional penalties for sales or distribution of controlled substances within 1,000 feet of schools, colleges, playgrounds, and a host of other areas. The law was originally intended to prevent drug dealing at schools, but is being used by US attorneys to harass otherwise inoffensive collectives. The Marin Alliance is sited within 1,000 feet of Bolinas Park, where there is a little league playground. But the dispensary closes during little league games. “This is nuts,” said Greg Anton, attorney for the Marin Alliance and its director, Lynnette Shaw. “There’s a dispensary near where I live that sells guns, narcotics, alcohol, and tobacco - and it’s full of children. It’s called Walmart, and it’s safe. So is Lynnette’s place. She’s proven that over 15 years.” (continued on page 9)