HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN

One of our members belongs to Triangle Pride. PAC (Political Action Committee) and the Human Rights campaign. The following comes from newsletters e-mailed to our members as she is a member of these organizations.
While the definition of marriage was overturned most notably in California, the election of Obama and other socially-minded Democrats gave these two groups, hope.
HOPE AND CHANGE FOR MICHIGAN AND THE NATION!
“A new dawn of American leadership is at hand.”
These words were spoken by Barack Obama, who was elected the 44th President of the United States last night in this historic election. As leaders in the movement seeking equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans, we celebrate the election of an LGBT-friend President who believes that the United States Constitution applies to ALL Americans.
In Washington
Michigan will be sending several Triangle Pride PAC endorsed candidates to the Capitol in 2009! Our pro-quality delegation includes Carl Levin for the U.S. Senate as well as Bart Stupak, Mark Schauer, and Gary Peters for the House of Representatives. In a stunning victory, Gary Peters defeated Republican incumbent Joe Knollenberg, who represented Michigan's 9th District for the past 16 years. The Democrats took a 56-40 lead over the Republicans in the U.S. Senate and a 2240-156 lead in the House of Representatives!
A New Supreme Court
Perhaps the most significant upset of the night occurred when Judge Diane Marie Hathaway unseated Clifford Taylor on the Michigan Supreme Court, marking the first time an incumbent was unseated since 1984! The impact of Judge Hathaway's victory is immeasurable, considering Judge Taylor's longstanding opposition to LGBT equality.
HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN
What a night.
Historians will point to this election as a turning point in the long struggle for civil rights. Eight years of White House hostility toward LGBT Americans are finally over.
Here's what we know right now.
We will finally have an LGBT-friendly White House: President Barack Obama and Vice
President Joe Biden.
The Losses
Sadly, we report that Hamtramck no longer has a comprehensive anti-discrimination policy. Additionally, marriage equality suffered devastating blows in California, Florida, Arizona and Arkansas. As we remember President-elect Obama's acceptance speech and his acknowledgement of our community, we remain hopeful that this new President will bring the values of inclusion and equality to our broken nation and help us in the continuing journey on the road to equality.
HUMAN RIGHT CAMPAIGN
Unfortunate news has dimmed the exhilatatiion of this historic, life-changing election.
I am deeply disappointed to report anti-LGBT bans passed in Florida and Arizona, and in Arkansas voters voted to bar all unmarried people, LGBT or straight, from adopting children or serving as foster parents.
On Tuesday night, our community felt the emotions of electing a pro-equality President and expanding our numbers in Congress and state houses across the country, but the next morning our hearts were broken as the dust settled and it was clear we lost the marriage ballot measures in California, Florida and Arizona. I will certainly provide you with further insight in the coming days to how we effectively organized and motivated LGBT voters in elections throughout the country, but today, as we find ourselves in this agonizing intersect ion of victory and defeat, I felt it was important to try and give some perspective about our losses.