February 2009

It was January 20, 2009 and I watched, as a man became our 44th President of these United States. He is not just any man; he is the man for the job. I believe he was born to be President of this country. He walks with confidence, not arrogance, he speaks with sincerity and I believe he is smart. His acceptance speech was the greatest I have ever heard for equality and I liken it to Martin Luther King’s Dream speech.

President Obama wrote 95 % of that acceptance speech. During his long campaign he said he would focus on the following, Economics, End deceptive voting practices, End racial profiling, repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, Oppose a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, Expand adoption rights, Empower women to prevent HIV/AIDS to name a few.

He was sworn in on Tuesday and on Wednesday he signed an Executive Order to repeal the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. This is a huge victory for women; Lily Ledbetter worked for Goodyear Tire for almost 20 years. When she was about to retire she found out that she was paid less than the men she had worked with for the past 20 years. Ledbetter filed a discrimination lawsuit and it went to the Supreme Court where they claimed that she should have filed after her first paycheck-Goodyear has a policy of not disclosing your salary to anyone or be fired. She lost. President Obama strolls into the oval office and with a few strokes of his mighty pen asserted his executive power and repealed it. A victory for all women.

Another historic decision by President Obama has lifted the ban on the Global Gag Order, which prohibits funding to international family planning groups that provide abortions and reproductive healthcare where none exists. Guatanomo closing, troop withdrawal from Iraq, stem cell research finally moving forward with human trials. President Obama is bringing us into the 21st Century.

President Obama said in June of 2007 “While we have come a long way since the Stonewall riots in 1969, we still have a lot of work to do. Too often, those seeking to divide us exploit the issue of LGBT rights. But at its core, this issue is about who we are as Americans. It’s about whether this nation is going to live up to its founding promise of equality by treating all its citizens with dignity and respect.”

I am delighted, giddy and overwhelmed by the actions taken in 10 days to reverse some of the most discriminatory issues that face minorities. This is a big mountain to climb and it will not be easy, but somehow I believe we are not alone on that mountain.
February is African American History Month and I celebrate the feminists who were born in February, Rosa Parks 1913, Susan B. Anthony 1820, Alice Walker 1944, Barbara Jordan 1936, Toni Morrison 1931, Audre Lorde 1934, Gertrude Stein 1874.

Also, this month we celebrate the Freedom to Marry Day on February 12 and of course Valentine’s Day.

We have much to celebrate in 2009 and I feel a sense of peace, to quote one our finest poet laureates Maya Angelou “The need for change bulldozed a road down the center of my mind.”

Have a LOVEly month.

Melinda Tremaglio, President
PSNOW

PO Box 1219-ps 92263, Palm Springs, CA 92263  Phone:(760) 333-8304  Email: mail@psnow.org