Below is the tentative meeting dates and locations. We will try to inform the group of any changes.

Remember that all meeting are Wednesdays at NOON!

September
08- UC, Guadalupe
15- UC, San Saba / Palo Pinto
22- UC, Guadalupe
29- UC, Guadalupe

October
06- UC, Guadalupe
13- TBA
20- UC, Guadalupe
27- UC, Guadalupe

November
03- UC, Concho
10- TBA
17- UC, Guadalupe

ALL meetings are from 12pm-1pm

September

2- Guadalupe
9- Guadalupe
16- Guadalupe
30- Guadalupe

October

7- Guadalupe
14- Rosebud Theater
28- Guadalupe

November

4- Guadalupe
11- Guadalupe

Thanks to all the GSA members and others who came out and supported the prop 8 protest in Dallas! 

“Reactions to the Supreme Court’s Proposition 8 decision announced on Tuesday, to uphold the gay marriage ban in California, gave way to protests and rallies organized across the rest of the country.

More than 100 marches, protests and other events in response to the court’s decision took place in Boston, Dallas, Washington and other cities around the country.”

Source: edgeboston.com

Take a look at all the photos taken by Tracy:
 http://www.flickr.com/photos/omgitztrey/sets/72157610948414898/

Check out the photos of the Christmas Dinner after the jump… shot with Rei Coley’s camera.

Source

Both resolutions are sponsored by Equality California and were drafted by EQCA and the National Center for Lesbian Rights, plaintiff and lead counsel, respectively, in the marriage case brought before the California Supreme Court.

Leno’s Senate Resolution 7 and Ammiano’s Assembly Resolution (number to be assigned) specify that significant revisions to the Constitution mandate distinct procedures and require a two-thirds vote of each house of the Legislature before going to voters. The resolutions are co-authored by Sen. Christine Kehoe and Assemblymember John A. Perez, both members of the LGBT Legislative Caucus, and Senate Pro Tem Speaker Darrell Steinberg.

“Prop 8 eliminates the fundamental right to marry from same-sex couples and allows a slim majority to take away the equal protections of a single minority group, which violates one of the fundamental and founding principles of our Constitution,” said EQCA Executive Director Geoff Kors. “That type of unprecedented change to the Constitution puts the rights of all Californians at risk, and it’s critical in our system of checks and balances that the Legislature weigh in on such fundamental revisions to the Constitution.”

The California Supreme Court is reviewing the validity of Prop 8, which passed by a narrow margin of 52 percent on November 4. Several lawsuits have challenged the initiative, including one filed on behalf of EQCA and several same-sex couples. That lawsuit was filed by the National Center for Lesbian Rights, American Civil Liberties Union and Lambda Legal. Earlier this year, the California Supreme Court held that barring same-sex couples from marriage violates the equal protection clause of the California Constitution and violates the fundamental right to marry.

“Proposition 8’s revision to the California Constitution violates key structural checks and balances built into our legal system,” said Sen. Leno. “Overnight, the constitutional protections of thousands of tax paying, law abiding California citizens were stripped from them by a simple majority vote, without a prior two-thirds vote by both houses of the legislature, thereby trampling on their fundamental right to equal protection.”

“Any major revision to the state Constitution should not be allowed to circumvent the legal system,” said Assemblymember Ammiano. “The fact is, Proposition 8 was improperly instituted through the ballot process without legislative involvement. I am proud to author this crucial resolution urging the courts to right the social travesty of Proposition 8 and ensure any similar future measures are approached in an appropriate and legal manner.”

If it stands, Prop 8 would be the only California initiative to successfully change the California Constitution to take away a right from a targeted minority group.

“Equality California is working to ensure there is broad support for both resolutions within the Legislature,” Kors said. “Additionally, we need people who support equality to take action immediately and encourage their representatives to support these resolutions. They can email their lawmakers directly at eqca.org.”

Founded in 1998, Equality California celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2008, commemorating a decade of building a state of equality in California. EQCA is a nonprofit, statewide advocacy organization whose mission is to achieve equality and civil rights of all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Californians. www.eqca.org

– 30 –

(Photo: Alaivani/Flickr)

It’s that time of year again!

Join us for our annual Christmas Dinner at PF Changs (Arlington Highlands) on December 5.

PF CHANGS
215 E I-20 Hwy
Arlington, TX 76018
Phone: (817) 375-8690

You must RSVP with Rei Coley by December 2nd at 3:30pm so we can make proper reservations. You can contact Rei via email at rei@uta-gsa.org. Don’t miss out! Come and have some fun.

From AfterElton.com

Great news! According to a documentary now being peddled by the American Family Association, us homosexuals have managed to infiltrate the quaint little town of Eureka Springs, Arkansas — turning it into a literal hotbed of homosexual activity by getting homo-sympathizers elected to its city council, sponsoring an annual pride event, and permitting (non-legally binding) civil commitment registration down at city hall. Also, that new candle shop on Main street is pretty suspect.

Clearly, Eureka Springs is the new Sodom! (Or, as the American Family Association website describes it: “The San Francisco of Arkansas.”) Unfortunately for us, this hard-hitting AFA-sponsored documentary tells the story “the liberal media will never tell” and exposes how us homosexual agenda pushers managed to overrun this quaint little Arkansas town — so we can’t duplicate that success anywhere else in America’s God-fearing heartland.

Hmm, if anything I figured Arkansas would be the last place we conquered. No inbreeding for me. No thanks! Congrats to the Eureka Springs citizens though.

Flickr/jmtimages

(TREYCRUZ.COM) — The world took a miraculous turn Nov. 4 for –hopefully — the best with the election of President-Elect Barack Obama. A few hours later we found out that California’s Proposition 8, which bans gay marriage, had passed. Without a doubt that was one of the biggest disappointment in politics that I have ever endured.

Now I have something to smile about… at Change.gov, Obama has laid out his plans for the LGBT community which includes: 1) Combating workplace discrimination, 2) Expand Hate Crimes Statutes, 3) Support Full Civil Unions and Federal Rights for LGBT Couples, 4) Oppose a Constitutional Ban on Same-Sex Marriage, 5) Repeal Don’t Ask-Don’t Tell, 6) Promote AIDS Prevention, 7) Expand Adoption Rights and 8) Empower Women to Prevent HIV/AIDS.

That’s a lot to do in four years. Do you think he can make it happen? Let’s hope he can fulfill all his promises.

The Obama-Biden Plan (”Support for the LGBT Community” from Change.gov)

1) Expand Hate Crimes Statutes: In 2004, crimes against LGBT Americans constituted the third-highest category of hate crime reported and made up more than 15 percent of such crimes. Barack Obama cosponsored legislation that would expand federal jurisdiction to include violent hate crimes perpetrated because of race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, or physical disability. As a state senator, Obama passed tough legislation that made hate crimes and conspiracy to commit them against the law.

2) Fight Workplace Discrimination: Barack Obama supports the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, and believes that our anti-discrimination employment laws should be expanded to include sexual orientation and gender identity. While an increasing number of employers have extended benefits to their employees’ domestic partners, discrimination based on sexual orientation in the workplace occurs with no federal legal remedy. Obama also sponsored legislation in the Illinois State Senate that would ban employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

3) Support Full Civil Unions and Federal Rights for LGBT Couples: Barack Obama supports full civil unions that give same-sex couples legal rights and privileges equal to those of married couples. Obama also believes we need to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and enact legislation that would ensure that the 1,100+ federal legal rights and benefits currently provided on the basis of marital status are extended to same-sex couples in civil unions and other legally-recognized unions. These rights and benefits include the right to assist a loved one in times of emergency, the right to equal health insurance and other employment benefits, and property rights.

4) Oppose a Constitutional Ban on Same-Sex Marriage: Barack Obama voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment in 2006 which would have defined marriage as between a man and a woman and prevented judicial extension of marriage-like rights to same-sex or other unmarried couples.
5) Repeal Don’t Ask-Don’t Tell: Barack Obama agrees with former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff John Shalikashvili and other military experts that we need to repeal the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. The key test for military service should be patriotism, a sense of duty, and a willingness to serve. Discrimination should be prohibited. The U.S. government has spent millions of dollars replacing troops kicked out of the military because of their sexual orientation. Additionally, more than 300 language experts have been fired under this policy, including more than 50 who are fluent in Arabic. Obama will work with military leaders to repeal the current policy and ensure it helps accomplish our national defense goals.

6) Expand Adoption Rights: Barack Obama believes that we must ensure adoption rights for all couples and individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation. He thinks that a child will benefit from a healthy and loving home, whether the parents are gay or not.

7) Promote AIDS Prevention: In the first year of his presidency, Barack Obama will develop and begin to implement a comprehensive national HIV/AIDS strategy that includes all federal agencies. The strategy will be designed to reduce HIV infections, increase access to care and reduce HIV-related health disparities. Obama will support common sense approaches including age-appropriate sex education that includes information about contraception, combating infection within our prison population through education and contraception, and distributing contraceptives through our public health system. Obama also supports lifting the federal ban on needle exchange, which could dramatically reduce rates of infection among drug users. Obama has also been willing to confront the stigma — too often tied to homophobia — that continues to surround HIV/AIDS. He will continue to speak out on this issue as president.

8) Empower Women to Prevent HIV/AIDS: In the United States, the percentage of women diagnosed with AIDS has quadrupled over the last 20 years. Today, women account for more than one quarter of all new HIV/AIDS diagnoses. Barack Obama introduced the Microbicide Development Act, which will accelerate the development of products that empower women in the battle against AIDS. Microbicides are a class of products currently under development that women apply topically to prevent transmission of HIV and other infections.

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This story was contributed by TREYCRUZ.COM

GSA member Deanna Hodge was filled with emotion has she rallied on against Prop 8. (Photo: Tracy Nanthavongsa)

The LGBT community united together Saturday morning at the city’s capitol — including the great city of Dallas — to protest against the passage of California’s Proposition 8. We really expected a larger turn-out considering the masses of people that attends the Pride Parade and the Halloween Block Party, but the number of protesters were around a mere 1,000.

We certainly hope that you had enough pride to fight for your civil rights and equality for all people.

The passing of Prop 8 caused a week long protest in California which has since spread across the countries like the New York City which brought out an incredible estimated 10,000 protesters.