Senator Lugar Breaks with Bush on War

Take Action Against Hate Crime!

One in six hate crimes are motivated by the victim's sexual orientation. Yet Federal laws don't protect these people. Watch the video. Then tell your Senators to support the Matthew Shepard Act by clicking here.

Michael Moore's "Sicko"

Can't wait to see this one!

True Colors Tour 2007

At Radio City in New York, Cyndi Lauper sings our for gay rights and human rights, encouraging us to "Let our true colors show!" She ends the song saying, "Power to the people. In America, the people still matter."



Encore with Erasure from the Chicago Tour reminding us not to be afraid to let our true colors show! Be strong!


True Colors Tour in DC singing ABBA's "Take A Chance on Me."


A composium of pictures of the True Colors Tour in Columbus, Ohio


True Colors Tour 2007

Support Paid Family Leave!

From Mom'sRising:

The New York State Legislature is buzzing with talk about paid family leave, but the Assembly and Senate both have to pass a Paid Family Leave bill off the floor by Friday, June 21st! So, now's the time to contact your State Legislator to express your strong support for this policy. Even if you contacted your State Legislator on this issue several weeks ago, it's time to do it again!

*To quickly fax your State Legislator today, click here.
(Here's how it works: Just click the link above, fill out the form with your name and address so the database can match up to your legislative district, edit the freshly drafted sample letter (or not), then hit "Submit." This will send your email directly to your legislators without you ever needing to look anything up. It's nearly magic!)

THIS JUST IN: After passing paid leave in Washington, we're seeing momentum in New Jersey and Oregon too! Help keep it going!

ENCOURAGEMENT FROM THE ASSEMBLY: Here's what New York Assemblymember Cathy Nolan (a strong proponent of Paid Family Leave and the prime sponsor of a version of the bill) has to say, "Thank you so much for your work on this important issue! It's critically important that your legislators hear from people like you who will directly benefit from this new program. With your help, we can make Paid Family Leave a reality in 2007. Please email your legislators today."

Let's do it! Let's pass this legislation this year!

THE FACTS: The Paid Family Leave bill would provide up to twelve weeks of wages (up to $170 weekly) for employees in the case of birth, adoption/foster care, or a serious illness of the member of the worker's family. Currently, the federal Family & Medical Leave Act provides job-protected leave to large employers, but it is unpaid. The program would be funded by an extremely small employee paycheck deduction, not from employers, which ensures families are supported when they need it most without harming businesses. A similar program is now in effect in California, and was recently passed by the Washington State legislature.

Working together we truly can make a difference--and the more people we have involved, the bigger the impact we'll make!


Thank you! Best - The MomsRising Team

p.s. In case you want some inspiration for action, here're a few facts to ponder:

* The United States is one of only 4 countries in the world that doesn't offer some form of paid leave to new mothers--we join Papua New Guinea, Swaziland, and Liberia with that dubious distinction. It's time to catch up with the rest of the world.

* Paid family leave has been shown to reduce infant mortality by as much as 20% (and the U.S. ranks a low 37th of all countries in infant mortality), as well as to help keep families out of poverty.

* Right now, having a baby is a leading cause of "poverty spells" in this country (poverty spells are a time when income dips below what's needed for basic living expenses like food and rent). And a full quarter of families with children under six years old live in poverty here. We need paid family leave to help New York's families, to decrease poverty, and to lower infant mortality.

p.p.s. The New York Times did a piece about this Paid Leave just last week!

"Hillary Inc." From the Nation.org:

If Clinton really wanted to curtail the influence of the powerful, she might start with the advisers to her own campaign, who represent some of the weightiest interests in corporate America. Her chief strategist, Mark Penn, not only polls for America's biggest companies but also runs one of the world's premier PR agencies. A bevy of current and former Hillary advisers, including her communications guru, Howard Wolfson, are linked to a prominent lobbying and PR firm--the Glover Park Group--that has cozied up to the pharmaceutical industry and Rupert Murdoch. Her fundraiser in chief, Terry McAuliffe, has the priciest Rolodex in Washington, luring high-rolling contributors to Clinton's campaign. Her husband, since leaving the presidency, has made millions giving speeches and counsel to investment banks like Goldman Sachs and Citigroup. They house, in addition to other Wall Street firms, the Clintons' closest economic advisers, such as Bob Rubin and Roger Altman, whose DC brain trust, the Hamilton Project, is Clinton's economic team in waiting. Even the liberal in her camp, former deputy chief of staff Harold Ickes, has lobbied for the telecom and healthcare industries, including a for-profit nursing home association indicted in Texas for improperly funneling money to disgraced former House majority leader Tom DeLay. "She's got a deeper bench of big money and corporate supporters than her competitors," says Eli Attie, a former speechwriter to Vice President Al Gore. Not only is Hillary more reliant on large donations and corporate money than her Democratic rivals, but advisers in her inner circle are closely affiliated with unionbusters, GOP operatives, conservative media and other Democratic Party antagonists.

From the Nation.org...Read more...

Dennis Kucinich on Universal Health Care

You, go, Senator Kucinich!

Senator Gravel at Democratic Presidential Debate

Green Day -Working Class Hero

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REklstJCauo

Green Day tries to increase awareness on the genocide in Darfur. Listen up!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REklstJCauo

Support Marriage Equality in New York

From The Human Rights Campaign:

HRC invites you to take action for
NY Marriage Equality!

Click here to find the Albany number of your Assemblymember.
When you speak to your Assemblymember's office remember to give them the number of the marriage bill (A.8590). Ask them to support its passage and to advocate with Speaker Silver and their fellow Assemblymembers to vote on the bill before the session ends on June 21.

Please report to Brian Coffin of the Pride Agenda what the Assemblymembers say about marriage equality.

Bcoffin@prideagenda.org (or) 518-472-3330 ext 304

See below for Volunteer Opportunities
to Help Pass Marriage Bill

Now that this moment is here and the Assembly is deciding on whether to vote this year to end the discriminatory denial of marriage to LGBT families, we need you pick up the phone and let your Assemblymember know you want them to pass this bill.


Even Assemblymembers who are co-sponsors or have said they will support the marriage bill need to hear from you again. If you haven?t ever contacted your Assemblymember on this issue, now is the time you need to do it.

Working together we can made this happen! Start making those phone calls now! Contact Your Assemblymember!







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Upcoming Volunteer Opportunities in New York



Phone Bank with Empire State Pride Agenda and NYACLU



Date: Tuesday, June 5, 2007

Time: 6 pm

Where: 16 West 22nd Street, 2nd Floor, NYC 10010 (between 5th & 6th Ave)



Meet with Assemblyman Scarborough on June 15

Assemblyman Scarborough represents NY Assembly Distrtict 29 (Jamaica Queens). If you live in this area your presence at this meeting is very important.

To RSVP or for more information please contact Darinka Maldonado at dmaldonado@nyclu.org.

Volunteer for a Pride

Join HRC, Empire State Pride Agenda, and our allies at one of the many New York Prides during the month of June. Pride events are an excellent way to get people active and spread the word about NY Marriage Equality!

To Volunteer Contact Chris Cormier at ccormier@prideagenda.org.