 guardian.co.uk | Wrong to frame gay advocacy as a rights issue Boston Globe 4): By referring to the demands of gay advocacy groups as “gay rights,'' you are tacitly endorsing their position that states that don't recognize same-sex ... Gay groups say loss won't alter strategy Gay marriage backers return to drawing board Should Gay Couples Be Allowed to Marry? |
 PinkNews.co.uk | Fort Worth police suspend 3 officers in gay bar raid Los Angeles Times Gay rights leaders said the Texas raid evoked memories of past conflicts with police. Seven people at the bar were arrested, and witnesses said one man had ... FWPD Suspends 3 Officers For Gay Bar Raid Conduct Fort Worth police suspend officers after Rainbow Lounge investigation Gay rights activists want Rainbow Lounge incident investigated |
 CBS News | Gay partnership measure approved by voters The Associated Press "I was very concerned that if the voters had said no, it would have been a major setback for gay and lesbian families in Washington state. ... Washington voters approve expanded gay rights Washington State Voters Approve Gay Partner Law Gay partnership measure approved by voters |
 Bay Area Reporter | Senate panel hears ENDA testimony South Florida Blade The Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee heard testimony on the bill that would bar job bias throughout the country against LGBT people in ... Furthering Civil Rights for LGBT Americans Ensuring Opportunity for All Americans Ending Employment Discrimination in America |
 Advocate.com | Post-election travel: Kalamazoo, anyone? And what about Maine? 365Gay.com Will queer innkeepers in the very LGBT-friendly and gay-welcoming town of Ogunquit, Maine suffer thanks to the same-sex marriage defeat? ... Victory in Kalamazoo Election news: Pam Bennett comes in fourth, Kalamazoo passes LGBT equality ... Kalamazoo voter approval of anti-discrimination ordinance shows 'tides are ... |
guardian.co.uk | Maine gay marriage vote a setback for all of us Baltimore Sun Even though the law was rejected by a narrow majority, it shows the work we must continue to protection LGBT people from anti-gay forces which are ... Maine voters support same-sex discrimination because Bible told them so Gay marriage supporters storm class Former Advocate EIC rips publication in blog |
guardian.co.uk | Gay marriage, GLBT rights fall victim to the voters South Florida Blade Other GLBT-related races saw setback across the country. In the race for Virginia's governor, Republican candidate Bob McDonnell beat his Democratic rival, ... Withers: Why no race blame game after the Maine loss? New Yorkers Oppose Anti-Gay Maine Vote, Look Ahead to NY Giannoulias Responds To Gay Marriage Defeat In Maine |
Jazz concert to benefit GLBT music scholarship OSU - The Lantern The Moffett Scholarship, which is offered at Ohio State's School of Music, gives $1500 annually to a GLBT student enrolled in the School of Music. ... Fred Hersch film airs in REEL Jazz series at Bryant Lake Bowl |
 Tips-Q GLBT News (blog) | Diversity Summit, including GLBT issues, to be held Saturday at Nova ... Tips-Q GLBT News (blog) ... Southeastern University: A Diversity Summit is being held Saturday at Nova Southeastern University and several presentations will focus on GLBT issues, ... College students host Diversity Summit for community |
Right now, legislators in the Senate are holding a hearing on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) in a hearing before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. Watch the hearing live online right now.
This critical legislation would fill a significant gap in employment law, adding protection for American workers from discrimination by employers on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. The momentum for passing an inclusive non-discrimination bill has been building, and now Congress needs to hear from the American people that ENDA is necessary and long overdue.
The time for action is now. Without strong support from Americans across all demographics, ENDA could continue to languish in Congress, as it has since 1994. Every day that ENDA is not law, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people are at risk for losing their jobs based on something that has nothing to do with their job performance. Right now, Congress must hear from every one of us!
Tell Congress to get their act together. Currently, only twelve states, the District of Columbia, and about 100 localities have non-discrimination protections that protect LGBT workers. Many U.S. corporations and small businesses alike already have workplace non-discrimination policies in place and support ENDA.
Stand up for fairness. No American who wants to work should be denied the opportunity based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. LGBT employees work just as hard and contribute just as much as other workers. Discrimination against LGBT Americans isn’t right and we can help put an end to it.
Equality is up to you. Our legislators must feel the pressure from their constituents to act quickly and send ENDA to the President’s desk, where it will become law. Contact your Representative and Senators to let them know that you support ENDA and you want them to support it, too. President Obama and ENDA’s co-sponsors have demonstrated that workplace fairness is a priority for them. Make sure that your elected officials know that it’s a priority for you, too.
This critical legislation would fill a significant gap in employment law, adding protection for American workers from discrimination by employers on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. The momentum for passing an inclusive non-discrimination bill has been building, and now Congress needs to hear from the American people that ENDA is necessary and long overdue.
The time for action is now. Without strong support from Americans across all demographics, ENDA could continue to languish in Congress, as it has since 1994. Every day that ENDA is not law, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people are at risk for losing their jobs based on something that has nothing to do with their job performance. Right now, Congress must hear from every one of us!
Tell Congress to get their act together. Currently, only twelve states, the District of Columbia, and about 100 localities have non-discrimination protections that protect LGBT workers. Many U.S. corporations and small businesses alike already have workplace non-discrimination policies in place and support ENDA.
Stand up for fairness. No American who wants to work should be denied the opportunity based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. LGBT employees work just as hard and contribute just as much as other workers. Discrimination against LGBT Americans isn’t right and we can help put an end to it.
Equality is up to you. Our legislators must feel the pressure from their constituents to act quickly and send ENDA to the President’s desk, where it will become law. Contact your Representative and Senators to let them know that you support ENDA and you want them to support it, too. President Obama and ENDA’s co-sponsors have demonstrated that workplace fairness is a priority for them. Make sure that your elected officials know that it’s a priority for you, too.
From our friends at Fair Wisconsin:
Lambda Legal andFair Wisconsin applaud the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s decision to reject a lawsuit brought by Wisconsin Family Action, an antigay group attempting to strip away newly enacted domestic partnership protections for same-sex couples and their families.
“We are pleased that the Court has rejected this challenge to an important law that was validly enacted to protect Wisconsin families,†said Christopher Clark, Senior Staff Attorney in Lambda Legal’s Midwest Regional Office based in Chicago. “Because of today’s ruling, Wisconsin’s same-sex couples and their families who depend on domestic partnership protections can take care of each other in times of illness and crisis. Even with the discriminatory amendment excluding same-sex couples from marriage, the Wisconsin Constitution does not prevent enactment of laws that offer basic decency and security for couples.â€
Fair Wisconsin, the statewide LGBT advocacy group, along with national and regional allies, recently helped enact these important domestic partnership protections for same-sex couples. Fair Wisconsin, vigorous opponents of the 2006 amendment banning marriage equality and civil unions, is defending the new domestic partnership law. Lambda Legal filed to intervene in the lawsuit on behalf of Fair Wisconsin and its members to protect the few but fundamental protections granted to same-sex couples through the domestic partnership law. After reviewing the case, Wisconsin Supreme Court dismissed the lawsuit.
“We are elated with this decision from the State Supreme Court,†says Executive Director Katie Belanger. “Over 15,000 same-sex couples in our state need the basic protections domestic partnerships provide.â€
Lambda Legal and
“We are pleased that the Court has rejected this challenge to an important law that was validly enacted to protect Wisconsin families,†said Christopher Clark, Senior Staff Attorney in Lambda Legal’s Midwest Regional Office based in Chicago. “Because of today’s ruling, Wisconsin’s same-sex couples and their families who depend on domestic partnership protections can take care of each other in times of illness and crisis. Even with the discriminatory amendment excluding same-sex couples from marriage, the Wisconsin Constitution does not prevent enactment of laws that offer basic decency and security for couples.â€
Fair Wisconsin, the statewide LGBT advocacy group, along with national and regional allies, recently helped enact these important domestic partnership protections for same-sex couples. Fair Wisconsin, vigorous opponents of the 2006 amendment banning marriage equality and civil unions, is defending the new domestic partnership law. Lambda Legal filed to intervene in the lawsuit on behalf of Fair Wisconsin and its members to protect the few but fundamental protections granted to same-sex couples through the domestic partnership law. After reviewing the case, Wisconsin Supreme Court dismissed the lawsuit.
“We are elated with this decision from the State Supreme Court,†says Executive Director Katie Belanger. “Over 15,000 same-sex couples in our state need the basic protections domestic partnerships provide.â€
Lambda Legal has filed a complaint with the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations (PCHR) against the City of Philadelphladelphia and the Youth Study Center (YSC) among others on behalf of a 17-year-old transgender girl who was physically attacked by other residents and verbally abused by staff every day for almost a year and a half.
"Youth Study Center violated Philadelphia's Fair Practices Ordinance when their staff discriminated against our client for being transgender," said Flor Bermudez, Youth in Out-of-Home Care attorney for Lambda Legal. "This city facility was supposed to protect her but instead Youth Study Center staff failed to respect her gender identity, verbally abused her, let residents physically attack her and forced her to live in fear."
The girl, who has asked to be unnamed for safety reasons, has been in the foster care system since she was eleven. In February 2008, a Family Court Judge ordered Department of Human Services to provide her with all appropriate medical treatment for Gender Identity Disorder (GID), including hormone therapy and mandated that her female gender identity be respected. However, YSC staff and administrators failed to treat her in accordance with her female gender identity. They refused to refer to her by her preferred female name and to use female pronouns. YSC staff also refused her access to clothing and grooming options that matched her gender identity and reprimanded her for acting in a feminine manner. When she asked to be referred to by her preferred female name, YSC staff told her: "You ain’t no fucking female, you are a dude. . . Till you get your dick cut off, I’m not going to call you [by your preferred female name.]"
In addition, YSC staff subjected Lambda Legal's client to ridicule and cruel and degrading treatment and allowed abuse by residents on a daily basis. She endured verbal harassment, including slurs such as: "You're a faggot," "Wanna-be-girl," "You are not a girl," and "You will never be a girl." On several occasions, the verbal harassment escalated to physical attacks.
The complaint filed by Lambda Legal to the PCHR claims that the YSC, operated by DHS, violated the Philadelphia Fair Practices Ordinance because she was harassed and discriminated against on the basis of her actual and/or perceived gender identity, sexual orientation, sex, and disability.
"Even though I asked the administration and staff at the Youth Study Center on multiple occasions to stop the harassment, to call me by the right name, to let me wear clothes that match who I am, and to allow me to sleep in a unit where I would feel safe, I continued to be degraded by staff and residents," said the 17-year-old girl. "Nobody, including sexual minorities, should have to experience the physical and emotional abuse that I encountered there."
"Youth Study Center violated Philadelphia's Fair Practices Ordinance when their staff discriminated against our client for being transgender," said Flor Bermudez, Youth in Out-of-Home Care attorney for Lambda Legal. "This city facility was supposed to protect her but instead Youth Study Center staff failed to respect her gender identity, verbally abused her, let residents physically attack her and forced her to live in fear."
The girl, who has asked to be unnamed for safety reasons, has been in the foster care system since she was eleven. In February 2008, a Family Court Judge ordered Department of Human Services to provide her with all appropriate medical treatment for Gender Identity Disorder (GID), including hormone therapy and mandated that her female gender identity be respected. However, YSC staff and administrators failed to treat her in accordance with her female gender identity. They refused to refer to her by her preferred female name and to use female pronouns. YSC staff also refused her access to clothing and grooming options that matched her gender identity and reprimanded her for acting in a feminine manner. When she asked to be referred to by her preferred female name, YSC staff told her: "You ain’t no fucking female, you are a dude. . . Till you get your dick cut off, I’m not going to call you [by your preferred female name.]"
In addition, YSC staff subjected Lambda Legal's client to ridicule and cruel and degrading treatment and allowed abuse by residents on a daily basis. She endured verbal harassment, including slurs such as: "You're a faggot," "Wanna-be-girl," "You are not a girl," and "You will never be a girl." On several occasions, the verbal harassment escalated to physical attacks.
The complaint filed by Lambda Legal to the PCHR claims that the YSC, operated by DHS, violated the Philadelphia Fair Practices Ordinance because she was harassed and discriminated against on the basis of her actual and/or perceived gender identity, sexual orientation, sex, and disability.
"Even though I asked the administration and staff at the Youth Study Center on multiple occasions to stop the harassment, to call me by the right name, to let me wear clothes that match who I am, and to allow me to sleep in a unit where I would feel safe, I continued to be degraded by staff and residents," said the 17-year-old girl. "Nobody, including sexual minorities, should have to experience the physical and emotional abuse that I encountered there."
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