In Their Own Words – Susie Williams

Posted on May 10, 2009 by kyle

Susie Williams

I grew up in Pennsylvania, and have lived in Maryland, Ohio, Mississippi, Texas and Wisconsin. My husband and I have been residents of Wisconsin for the past 20 years. We have two grown children. Our daughter, her partner and two grandchildren and our son and daughter-in-law live in TX. In our free time, we enjoy riding our motorcycle on country roads in the state and on road trips to Pennsylvania and Texas to visit family.

I began working for the State of Wisconsin in 1989 with the Department of Corrections and transferred to UW-Whitewater in 2001. I am the Administrative Affairs representative for the Chancellor’s Task Force for LGBT Issues. Our daughter is my inspiration and driving force to be on the LGBT Task Force. I am thankful for the opportunity to help raise awareness of LGBT issues and to help provide a comfortable and safe environment for all students, faculty and staff.

The task force is comprised of members from all over campus. The blog allows us to not only let the campus community know what we do, but also gives us an opportunity to introduce the individuals that make up this fantastic committee.

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The Main(e) Event – Gay Marriage

Posted on May 6, 2009 by kyle

Now there are FIVE states that recognize same-sex marriages – the Maine Legislature passed the bill this morning and their governor signed it into law an hour after it reached his desk. This is now the second state to legalize marriage for all via the legislative vote.

In other marriage news, the Washington Post reported that the District of Columbia City Council voted in favor of recognizing same-sex marriages performed elsewhere. This presents an interesting situation, as Congress will have thirty days to review district legislation, which hasn’t the same-sex marriage issue since the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act.

Interesting side note – Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) was quoted as saying, “It’s not something I can let go softly into the night… I recognize the Democrats are in the majority, but I represent the majority of Americans on this issue.” No offense, Rep. Chaffetz, but did you see the article in last week’s Post about American support for gay marriage is now at 49%, whereas 46% oppose it?

Didn’t think so.

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Today’s Topic: Hate

Posted on April 29, 2009 by kyle

Two items of interest with respect to hate:

First, the good news…

1) Hate Crimes Legislation
The House of Representatives has begun debate on H.R. 1913, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act (aka Matthew Shepard Act). The new legislation would allow the Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute bias-motivated crimes. You can find out more about it at the Human Rights Campaign.
Source: HRC Backstory

And now the not-so-good news…

2) Hate Groups Gaining Popularity
This week’s Newsweek features a story about how white supremacist groups are thriving in our society due to the poor economy and African-American president. Interesting read – slightly disturbing. I also recommend checking out the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Year in Hate mentioned in the article.
Source: Newsweek, Rebranding Hate in the Age of Obama

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For The Bible Tells Me So

Posted on April 27, 2009 by kyle

If you have plans for Wednesday evening… CANCEL THEM NOW!

IMPACT, the LGBTQA student group, is sponsoring a showing of For The Bible Tells Me So, the (many)-awarding-winning documentary that addresses the often polemic worlds of sexuality and religion. The film examines five “very normal, very Christian, very American” families in their handling of a gay child.

For The Bible Tells Me So
29 April (Wednesday) at 8 PM
Summers Auditorium, University Center

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpJAucyX7RE[/youtube]

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The Far Right’s Losing Steam

Posted on April 21, 2009 by kyle

Saturday’s New York Times featured an op/ed piece about how the far right’s on their last leg with respect to their opposition to same-sex marriage and equal rights.

The Bigots’ Last Hurrah – Frank Rich

Glenn Beck dodging the issue, Dr. Laura’s cool with same-sex relationships, the governor of Utah supports equal rights. Sounds like the tides are changing.

We’ve experienced the last leg here on campus as well, with the Faithful Soldier School of Evangelism paying us a few visits in the last two weeks.

And just for fun, the National Organization for Marriage-funded commercial, mentioned in the NY Times article, in which the apocalypse is predicted. Yikes.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wp76ly2_NoI[/youtube]

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