Dr. Frank Kameny was the first to fight dismissal from a federal job and appeal it all the way to the Supreme Court. He was the first to run for Congress in 1971. He also worked to remove the classification of homosexuality as a mental disorder from the American Psychiatric Association's manual of mental disorders. He deserves recognition for his pioneering efforts.

Under Connecticut state law, 17 year-olds may work, drive, legally consent to sexual relations, and even stand trial in adult criminal court for certain crimes. They contribute to state revenues through sales and employment taxes. They can serve in the armed forces. They are required to complete a course in civics education in order to graduate from high school. And, as of 2008, they have had the right to vote in primary elections (provided they turn 18 before the general election). Yet, despite these various responsibilities, Connecticut's 17 year-olds are barred from participating in general elections. Giving these youth the right to vote will breathe new life into stagnant public debates surrounding education reform, juvenile justice policy, environmental protection, and a host of other important issues that uniquely affect young people. Moreover, it will encourage Connecticut’s youth to take a more active role in civic life and help them to develop a long-term interest in government and politics. We therefore call on state lawmakers to amend the state constitution and lower Connecticut's voting age to 17 for general elections.

In the fall of 2011 the Chicago City Council will debate whether or not it will pass a resolution against torture. The resolution calls on the City of Chicago to “hereby stand against all forms of torture and inhumane treatment and does proclaim Chicago to be a torture free city.”

There has been data that anti-gay rhetoric is harmful to gays (especially gay youth). The two seem to be connected as evidenced by an increase in hate crimes involving 'perceived' gay teens and gay adults.

Medicaid programs for children and people with disabilities are being sold to for-profit HMOs. Taxpayers are spending $11 billion a month for care, and 20-50% is "saved" by denying benefits. A White House policy of "unregulating" Medicaid has to be stopped. Millions like my medically fragile daughter are losing their civil rights once their lives are sold to Wall Street.

This petition is about civil liberties violations by the Huntsville, Alabama police department & about protecting our first ammendment right to peacefully organize in the united states. The petition was started to challenge the legality of the Huntsville, AL ordinance that states that; 1. It is illegal to have a funeral procession without a police escort; 2. The funeral procession is limited to 25 cars, including the hearse, clergy & mourners.

As President, Bill Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act, putting discrimination against lesbians and gay men into federal law. DOMA is terrible public policy. The Obama administration has decided the act is unconstitutional and will no longer defend it in federal court. Sen. Dianne Feinstein has introduced legislation in Congress to repeal DOMA. What better advocate for repeal of this highly discriminatory law than the man who put it into effect? Let's ask former President Clinton to actively join the effort to repeal DOMA.

Rep. Kern has stated that gays and lesbians are a "cancer" and warned that they would bring civilization to an end if granted legal and social equality. Kern claimed that societies that have accepted homosexuality in the past "lasted [no] more than a few decades" and declared that America’s tolerance of homosexuals constituted a "death knell of our country." Kern also claimed that gays and lesbians were "the biggest threat our nation has, even more so than terrorism of Islam," and said that "gays are infiltrating city councils.... They are winning elections." "To me what is hateful is when those people who say, ’You’re born this way. There’s no hope in change. You’re stuck in this, deal with it,’ that is hate," Kern said. "There’s no hope in that." When a recording of her comments was leaked, Kern found herself at the center of a firestorm. She refused to apologize for her comments, however, stating that had she known her remarks were being recorded, she would not have changed them.

We are calling on Chick-Fil-A and it's president Dan Cathy to live up to his promise that he made January of last year. "We will not champion any political agendas on marriage and family." In a July 26, 2011 article posted by Edge News. Mr. Cathy and Chick-Fil-A Sponsors Anti-Gay Golf Event. This petition is to add pressure to him and his corp., to take back on this sponsorship, and in the meantime I call for a boycott of this corp until which time he does so.

Why should homosexuals, Muslims and other victimized groups be forced to listen to bigoted attacks against them from the far right? Many countries have already made the bold move of criminalizing dangerous hate speech to protect minorities and prevent scapegoating. Sign this petition if you want the USA to be the next nation to make that bold move.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry has a long history of using faith as a political weapon. Now Gov. Perry has asked a hate group, the American Family Association, to organize a Christians-only event on August 6 in Houston that will sharpen divisions among Americans along religious and political lines. Other organizers of the event, "The Response: A Call to Prayer for a Nation in Crisis," have a history of anti-Catholic rhetoric and other religious bigotry. One is so extreme that he has called the Statue of Liberty a “demonic idol.” Sign on to an open letter from the Texas Freedom Network urging Gov. Perry to stop using faith to divide Americans.

The city of New Smyrna Beach has finally realized it is unlawful to outright ban the art of tattooing. Now, however, they are trying to zone tattooing in "Heavy Industrial" areas, making it close to impossible for shops to survive. Would you want a needle to go into your skin in a heavy industrial zone, right next to machine and auto body shops? NO! Sign this petition and stand with us against this injustice!