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The President Signs Repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell": "Out of Many, We are One"

Rest in Peace – Don't Ask, Don't Tell

Gay Rights Advocates Applaud Obama for Signing "Defining Civil Rights Measure"

NCLR Applauds "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Repeal

Obama Affirms Support For Repealing DOMA, Says His Stance On Marriage Equality Is "Evolving"

Black Women Win in Repeal of DADT

Don't Ask, Don't Tel Repeal is a Means to an ENDA

Goodbye DADT, Hello ROTC

(Gay) Boys Who Like Girls…as Very Good Friends

White Dad, Black Son and Raising Kids in a "Colorblind" World

Anti-Gay Atmosphere Permeates Uganda

Gay and Lesbian College Presidents: 'It Gets Better' (VIDEO)

Transgender Woman Finds Her Way

A Gay Commander in Chief: Ready or Not?

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The National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) is a civil rights organization dedicated to empowering Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. NBJC's mission is to eradicate racism and homophobia

Dear Friend,

Season's Greetings.  We are sending a revised version to the E-Digest sent earlier today due to technical errors in the previous version.  We hope you enjoy this special holiday edition.

This issue salutes a historical victory for our community – the repeal of DADT! Many of us have been working behind-the-scenes on DADT repeal all along and saw the fruits of being persistent when the President signed the repeal this week. In 2011 and beyond, NBJC will be sharing the stories of Black gay and lesbian service members impacted by DADT.

NBJC's DADT Repeal Coverage – CLICK HERE for more

In other news, former president Jimmy Carter predicts a gay president in the near future, Obama affirms support for repealing DOMA, and gay and lesbian college presidents make an "It's Gets Better" Video.

Happy holidays! Enjoy, be safe, and celebrate your family!

The President Signs Repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell": "Out of Many, We are One"

With his signature on Wednesday, the President put in motion the end of a policy that has hurt our military as a whole, that has forced thousands of those who serve to do so under a cloud of anxiety and isolation, and that has stood as a symbol of the barriers to unity and equality in our country.  As the President put it, "For we are not a nation that says, 'don't ask, don’t tell.' We are a nation that says, 'Out of many, we are one.'"

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Rest In Peace – Don't Ask, Don't Tell

On December 22, President Obama signed the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” effectively ending legalized discrimination against gay and lesbian people who choose to serve openly in the military. NBJC Executive Director Sharon Lettman-Hicks and Director of Public Engagement Jasper Hendricks, III, were present to witness the historic event.

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Gay Rights Advocates Applaud Obama for Signing "Defining Civil Rights Measure – San Diego Gay & Lesbian News

“By repealing ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ President Obama, along with the American people, has added a new chapter for civil rights in this country by officially putting an end to legalized anti-gay discrimination within the military. With the stroke of a pen, the president is strengthening our military by opening its doors to the untold thousands of gay and lesbian citizens, who previously have chosen not to serve out of concern that they would be dishonorably discharged. In these tough economic times, repealing ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ creates job security for thousands of service members who have lived in fear that they might be expelled for characteristics that are outside of their control and that have no effect on their ability to perform their duties,” – Sharon Lettman-Hicks, NBJC Exec. Dir.

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NCLR Applauds "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Repeal – Lez Get Real

NCLR congratulates and thanks the many organizations that have worked so hard on repealing DADT both in Congress and the courts, including: Servicemembers Legal Defense Network; the Human Rights Campaign; Servicemembers United; the Palm Center; the Center for American Progress; OutServe; the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force; National Black Justice Coalition; Get Equal; Log Cabin Republicans; and Stonewall Democrats.

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Obama Affirms Support for Repealing DOMA, Says His Stance on Marriage Equality is "Evolving" – Huffington Post

On Tuesday evening, with the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell headed for the president's desk, Barack Obama signaled that he will continue to push for gay rights by tackling the Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as between a man and a woman, and emphasized that his attitudes on gay marriage are "evolving."

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Black Women Win in Repeal of DADT – AlterNet

It's official: President Obama signed a repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" on Wednesday morning. The move marks an end to the 17-year-old Clinton-era policy that's kept thousands of gay and lesbian soldiers to stay in the closet or risk being discharged from the military once their sexuality came to light. It's especially welcome news for soldiers of color, who were already disproportionately impacted by the policy.

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Don't Ask Don't Tell Repeal is a Means to an ENDA – Vanity Fair

I look forward to watching, and writing about, the process of undoing this ban over the next few months and years. In an authoritarian organization like the military, when a policy is created (and enforced) from the top down, the membership tends to accept it—because they have to. And change within our military often acts as an indicator of or precursor to wider initiatives; full federal (or at least legislative) protections of the civil rights of African Americans and other racial minorities, and women, followed their integration into the military. – Brett Berk, Vanity Fair

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Goodbye DADT, Hello ROTC – Inside Higher Ed

Presidents of some of the nation's highest profile colleges and universities, where the Reserve Officers' Training Corps program has been barred for decades, said that the U.S. Senate's vote Saturday to repeal "don't ask, don't tell" will usher the return of the program to their campuses — though the exact procedure remained unclear. "This is an historic development for a nation dedicated to fulfilling its core principle of equal rights," Lee C. Bollinger, president of Columbia University, said in a statement following the vote this weekend to end the 17-year-old policy forcing gay and lesbian members of the military to hide their sexual orientation in order to continue serving."

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Sahil Farooqi and Nathan Hale Williams Are (Gay) Boys Who Like Girls… as Very Good Friends – AfterElton.com

AfterElton.com recently talked with two of the gay men starring in Girls Who Like Boys Sahil Farooqi and Nathan Hale Williams who discussed being gay men of color, why they wanted to do the show, the pitfalls being on a reality show and much more.

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Anti-Gay Atmosphere Permeates Uganda – NPR

In October, a tabloid called Rolling Stone — no relation to the American magazine — published an article headlined "100 Pictures of Uganda's Top Homos Leak." The article listed names, addresses and hangouts of gay men and lesbians. Frank Mugisha saw his photo. Then he noticed the subhead: "Hang them." "I was shaken up. I was freaked out. I was scared," says Mugisha, who heads up the group Sexual Minorities Uganda.

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White Dad, Black Son and Raising Kids in a "Colorblind" World – NPR

“Whose baby is that?” “Is that your child?”  Shortly after my adopted newborn son arrived, whenever we were out in public, we drew frequent stares and questions from strangers. Though we live in a racially diverse neighborhood, I didn’t expect the sight of a middle-aged white man carrying an African American infant peering out from a colorful chest-worn sling to be such an attention grabber.

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Gay and Lesbian College Presidents: 'It Gets Better' (VIDEO) – Huffington Post

Their group is just six months old, but members of the LGBTQ Presidents in Higher Education are presenting a strong front in support of gay and lesbian university community members. Joining the ranks of Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, the group sat together — some with their partners — to share their challenges and triumphs as openly gay university leaders.

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 Transgender Woman Finds Her Way – CJ Online

The 52-year-old Mott lives openly as a transgender woman in Topeka. The torment and fear that once smothered her life is gone. "When I was trying to live as a man, I was in conflict with God, and only by living as the woman I was created to be am I in harmony with God," she said.

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A Gay Commander in Chief: Ready or Not? – New York Times

Jimmy Carter is putting the out in outspokenness. In an interview with bigthink.com, the former president was asked, "Is the country ready for a gay president?" Even as John McCain and other ossified Republicans were staging last-minute maneuvers to torpedo the "don't ask, don't tell" repeal, the 86-year-old Carter was envisioning a grander civil rights victory. "I would say that the answer is yes," he said. "I don't know about the next election, but I think in the near future."

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