Safe PICS For All Ages, Rated G
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Consider joining:Today's Health - Wellness/ Exercise / Reflections:Gay rights group places focus on lack of domestic partner benefits for civil servantsBy Lisa Rein / Washington Post Staff Writer / Nov. 17, 2010
As federal workers and retirees weigh their options for health insurance and other job benefits for next year, the country's leading gay rights group has launched a public education campaign to highlight the lack of domestic partner benefits for civil servants.
President Obama has used his powers to extend federal rights and benefits for gays and lesbians, helping a constituency that strongly backed him when he ran for office.
As a result, same-sex partners of federal workers can now sign up for long-term care insurance and several other benefits traditionally afforded to heterosexual spouses, such as medical treatment, relocation assistance and membership with credit unions and fitness centers. Gay and lesbian federal workers can now take paid leave to care for sick or dying partners.
But the most vital benefits sought by gays and lesbians in the federal workforce, health insurance and other family benefits, must be approved by Congress. A bill granting them has passed committees in the Senate and House but has not been brought up for a floor vote in either chamber.
"It is that time of year when federal workers look at their health plans and say, 'I could get better dental coverage or some other addition to my plan, but I don't have the option to cover my family,' " said Brian Moulton, chief legislative counsel to the Human Rights Campaign, which launched its outreach effort last week with the Center for American Progress Action Fund.
"It's an unpleasant reminder to folks who aren't able to have those benefits," Moulton said.
Moulton said the campaign is urging federal workers to lobby their congressmen to pass the bill during the lame-duck session. He acknowledged that its chances will diminish when the Republican-controlled House takes office in January.
The Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act, sponsored by Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.) would allow same-sex spouses to participate in the federal pension program, and to receive life insurance and compensation for a work injury sustained by their spouse, all benefits enjoyed by heterosexual partners.
More than half the country's Fortune 500 companies provide domestic partner benefits to their employees, the Human Rights Campaign said. In addition, 23 states, the District of Columbia and more than 150 local governments make benefits available to public employees and their same-sex partners.
The extra coverage is estimated to cost the government between $600 million and $900 million over 10 years. The government spends about $200 billion a year on salaries and benefits for federal workers and retirees, Moulton said.
Gays and lesbians make up about 5 percent of the 1.9 million federal workers. A total of about 8 million federal employees, retirees and their dependents are entitled to federal health benefits.
- Members of Peckers Pics should join our President Barack Obama group . (Health Care & Gay Rights, Gay Marriage, Repeal DOMA &, Don't Ask Don't Tell)
http://groups.yahoo.com/ group/ObamaBiden 2008/join - Bearhug Submission - Roommates (Wrestling fiction)(Your Yahoo Profile must have Age, Gender, Location before you apply for membership!).
Take Action:
- Boycott advertisers of Glenn Beck on Fox News as well as all of FOX NEWS! Glenn has lied about Health-care, called our President a racist, and is anti-gay rights.
- We demand immediate end of DADT. It is out-right discrimination.
- Boycott Bill O'Reilly and FOX News and their advertisers. Bill discussed a French commerical by McDonalds that was meant to show that McDonalds is Gay Friendly. Bill said what is next? Is McDonalds going to get be Al-Qaida friendly as well? Further, Bill said that McDonalds would never show a gay friendly commercial in the USA. Imagine, Bill is comparing Gays to Al-Qaida.
- Boycott Arizona because of their uncivilized anti-Immigration Law that encourages racial profiling and increases hatred towards minorities. A remedy: Demand Republicans to support Immigration Reform.
- NEW: Boycott Gold's Gym, Target and Best Buy for donating money towards anti-gay political candidates/organizations.
This group is called "Peckers Pics." The English - slang definition of "pecker" is to pluck at the truth. Therefore, we peck at items such as Gay Men's Health, Male Fitness, Gay (LGBT) Politics & Issues. In this section you may peck at each photo in order to decide the winner of the "war of the fittest!" Whereas, who is the model that may inspire you to exercise and "get fit?" Warning: This may stoke you!Remember your participation in discussion of health and news articles in this message is greatly appreciated!
Rio Gay Pride; Nov 14, 2010
Rio Gay Pride; Nov 14, 2010
November 17, 2010 / North JerseyLET there be no doubt: Bullying is a clear and present danger to children. Nationwide, one in four have been cyber-bullied. An estimated 85 percent of gay and lesbian students have been harassed. Some 160,000 victims skip school every day.
An aggressive proposal to better identify, punish and prevent harassment in New Jersey schools cannot make its way through the Legislature soon enough.
The newly proposed Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights mandates new school safety teams, anti-bullying coordinators, training in suicide prevention, an annual "Week of Respect," and regular reports to the state education commissioner. It builds on the state's 2002 anti-bullying law, one of the first in the country, and a 2007 update to include cyber-bullying.
The deadly power of bullying has gained national prominence in recent months, after several high-profile teenage suicides. Although we are generally wary of laws drafted in the heat of the moment, the bill approved by committees in the Senate and Assembly on Monday has been in development since last October, when the New Jersey Commission on Bullying in Schools completed a comprehensive review of harassment problems and policies statewide.
The current law has fallen short of its goals, the commission found. Commission members heard heart-wrenching testimony by students, parents and educators, detailing incidents when victims were brushed aside and bullies were not punished. Harassment that would result in immediate removal from the workplace was sometimes downplayed to avoid controversy in schools.
Similar sad stories were the focus of legislative hearings this week, Staff Writer John Reitmeyer reported.
Matthew Zimmer, 16, of Ridgewood said the harassment he faced regarding his sexual orientation made it impossible to attend school, forcing him to continue his studies online. And Michele Weinberg of Upper Saddle River spoke about her son Larry's suicide during his senior year of high school, as a result of being bullied.
"The pain and humiliation overwhelmed him," she said.
While the urgency of the problem is clear, the road ahead is somewhat murky. The new law would extend protections to students on- and off-campus. It defines harassment, intimidation and bullying to include physical, verbal and electronic gestures, in a nod to the cruel, round-the-clock power of social-networking websites.
Legal questions loom. An administrative law judge recently struck down the student code of conduct at the Ramapo-Indian Hills school district, because it punished students for their behavior outside of school. We believed that was wise, since parents, not teachers, are in charge when classes end. However, state law may be flexible when it comes to bullying, due to the clear link between out-of-school behavior and the school environment. Due diligence to ward off court challenges is needed.
There is a clear role for all adults to play in these matters. Schools can be kind, supportive environments, so long as students are given equal attention, harassment is not tolerated and bullies are not indulged. Those expectations start from on high.
Yet for generations, too many of us have taken the easy way out, and smoothed over conflict by asking victims to grow a thicker skin. We can, and must, do better to ensure our schools are not imparting lessons in cruelty along with history and math.
"Every gay and lesbian person who has been lucky enough to survive the turmoil of growing up is a survivor. Survivors always have an obligation to those who will face the same challenges."
URGENT: Boycott Gold's Gym, Target and Best Buy for donating money towards anti-gay political candidates/organizations and to Proposition 8 (California) to prevent gay marriage. I would not purchase "Blood Diamonds," nor should a person / organization be contributing funds to both Hitler / Nazi's and the Jews at the same time! Obviously giving money to the Jews and not Hitler/Nazi's was the right thing to do. Hence, these companies violated my trust and well-being. They gave money to my enemy who would terminate me from my job, deny me housing and send me to a Internment camp. Therefore, goodbye Gold's Gym, Target and Best Buy! The CEO's of these companies have been insensitive to our reaction and do not even comprehend their actions! What takes so long to "fire" these Neanderthals?
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