 Daily Mail | Guest columnist Toward marriage equality for lesbian and gay families Seattle Times When voters approved Referendum 71, Washington became the first state in the nation to secure domestic-partnership rights for gay and lesbian families at ... LETTERS: Gay marriage supporters speak out, respect for life and more Addabbo: Gay Marriage 'Transcends' Civil Rights » The Senate sneers |
 CBS News | LA Episcopal Diocese elects first woman bishop in its history Los Angeles Times The Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles elected the first woman bishop in its 114-year history today but had yet to decide whether to select an openly gay ... Gay reverend may be elected bishop LA Episcopal diocese elects first woman bishop LA Episcopalians Elect First Woman Bishop |
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 Queerty (blog) | Gay rights groups urges Congress to act on ENDA Examiner.com The letter stated, "For decades now, we have called upon Congress to pass legislation to address the basic right of LGBT people to work free from ... Steve Rothaus |
Review of "She Like Girls" - a new LGBT sensitive play at the Ohio Theatre ... Examiner.com ... the first beats of the play, the life of 16year-old Kia Clark unfolds in a surreal montage of the obstacles she faces as an LGBT youth in an inner city. ... She Like Girls |
THE BIGGEST NIGHT IN LGBT MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT WILL ROCK Lez Get Real New York, NY (November 18, 2009) â€" The outmusic LGBT Recording Academy and its Board of Directors today announced that the 2009 outmusic Awards will take ... |
A Booster Shot for Gay-Owned Businesses BusinessWeek The NGLCC says there are approximately 1.4 million GLBT-owned businesses in the US, and estimates those businesses have won about $50 million in corporate ... |
A Talk with Bruce Bastian BusinessWeek Why should businesses strive to be open to the GLBT community? My concern is for the young gay entrepreneur or great mind who lives in a place where they ... |
Joe Biden Swears in David Huebner for New Zealand Ambassadorship -- Kiwi ... Huffington Post (blog) It was a great swearing-in to attend -- and excellent to see the administration reaching out as it did to members of the GLBT community to be part of this. |
PFLAG has been actively involved in the effort to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) for many years â€" in fact, entirely too many years. It is inexcusable that our LGBT families and loved ones must continue to endure a legal system in which they can be fired in 29 states for being gay or lesbian, and in 38 for being transgender or expressing their gender identity differently.It has been our hope that given the current structure of Congress, ENDA would move forward and reach the point of a vote. However, it appears that Congress does not plan any movement on this critical bill, in spite of promises to support LGBT equality.
Today, PFLAG signed on to support a statement by leaders of many LGBT organizations demanding that Congress see equality in the U.S. as a priority issue and pass ENDA now.
You can read the statement (below) and click through to access the full list of organizations who are included on this statement.
Don’t forget: PFLAG’s Bringing the Message Home guide provides you with key background information on ENDA and other critical issues. You can download it for free here.
Want to take action? Be sure that you visit PFLAG’s 5-Minute Advocacy Center on the PFLAG website and sign up for action alerts.
Demand equality from your elected leaders today.
LGBT AMERICANS OUTRAGED AT DELAY IN BASIC JOB RIGHTS
In light of continuing delays in the House of Representatives, we must state clearly and unequivocally: Passing basic job protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people must happen now. At a time when our government is deeply focused on the critical issue of employment, it is inexcusable to delay action on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). Each and every job lost to prejudice based on sexual orientation and gender identity needlessly compounds the unemployment challenges facing our nation.
For decades now, we have called upon Congress to pass legislation to address the basic right of LGBT people to work free from discrimination at our jobs, and now Congress tells us we must wait another year. In 29 states, it remains legal to fire people based on sexual orientation and in 38 states, discrimination based on gender identity remains legal. In failing to take swift action to pass ENDA, our government allows unfettered bigotry to go unchecked, leading to the loss of jobs, fear in the workplace, economic instability, and personal hardship, while allowing employers to lose competent experienced workers. ENDA is urgently needed by our communities.
The majority of Americans consistently state their support for employment protections and voters have affirmed similar state and local measures. There is absolutely no reason for Congress to continue to delay this non-controversial bill or drop LGBT issues to the bottom of their agenda. We will not be denied basic rights any longer. Nothing is more important than protecting peoples’ jobs so ENDA must pass now. Further delays are absolutely unacceptable.
Click here to see the statement with all signatures.
[Dr. Paul Wertsch is part of the Straight for Equality in Healthcare committee and is the husband of Great Plains Regional Director Kay Heggestad.]
The American Medical Association came out in favor of ending the "don't ask, don't tell" law that requires gays in the military to hide their sexual orientation from their physicians and others. Delegates to the AMA Interim Meeting said the policy threatens the physician-patient relationship and compromises the medical care of gay patients in the military.
The military reserves the power to inspect service members' medical records for combat readiness purposes. So any mention of their sexual orientation could result in discharge under the federal law governing the military's tary's policy on gays, known as "don't ask, don't tell."
The law puts gays in the military and their physicians in an untenable situation, said Wisconsin Medical Society delegate Paul A. Wertsch, MD, [pictured] who brought the issue before the house. "If you can't trust your doctor to tell the truth, you're not going to tell the truth," said Dr. Wertsch, whose son is gay. "If a doctor feels that by writing down the truth, he can get you in trouble, that's a bad situation."
The "don't ask, don't tell" law is "hurting people, it's making doctors lie, it's having patients not get proper care and it's hurting the military," said Dr. Wertsch, a family physician.
His original resolution asked the AMA to lobby the armed forces to change policy to protect the confidentiality of any disclosures regarding sexual orientation. But military physicians testified in reference committee that federal law governed the matter and the law is what needs to change. The committee strengthened the resolution to call for a complete repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" law, and the house adopted it without debate.
"The AMA took the horse by the reins in doing what needed to be done to call for the repeal of something that creates such disparities and such health care risks," said Jennifer Chaffin, MD, a San Ramon, Calif., forensic psychiatrist who chairs the AMA Advisory Committee on Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Issues. Dr. Wertsch also serves on the committee.
Alexander Nicholson, executive director of Servicemembers United, which represents gays actively serving in the military and veterans, testified before the AMA reference committee. "This is yet another nail in the coffin of the flawed and outdated 'don't ask, don't tell' law," he said later, "It should send a strong message to those who continue to blindly claim that this policy works."
A July 2008 Washington Post-ABC News poll found that 75% of Americans back allowing gays to openly serve in the military.
After months of inaction and growing complaints from gay advocacy groups, President Barack Obama in October reaffirmed his campaign pledge to sign legislation allowing gays in the military to reveal their sexual orientation.
"President Obama has been clear ... that he is committed to repeal the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy," said Lt. Col. Jonathan Withington, a Dept. of Defense spokesman. "He has also been clear that he is committed to doing it in a way that is least disruptive to our troops, especially given that they have been simultaneously waging two wars for six years now."
Repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" is likely to be part of next year's Defense Dept. authorization bill, according to Rep. Barney Frank (D, Mass.), who is one of three openly gay members of Congress.
Marriage disparities
A separate AMA Council on Science and Public Health report found that gay families face a host of health disparities, such as unequal access to health insurance benefits, due to laws barring them from marriage.
"Exclusion from civil marriage contributes to health care disparities affecting same-sex households," said the council's report recommendation, which the house adopted.
The AMA's new policy -- also adopted without house debate -- commits the organization to working to reduce health disparities in gay families and supporting "measures providing same-sex households with the same rights and privileges to health care, health insurance, and survivor benefits, as afforded opposite-sex households."
The policy does not call for repealing the Defense of Marriage Act -- which denies federal benefits to same-sex partners -- or for backing state-level attempts to give gays access to civil unions or legal marriage.
The American Medical Association came out in favor of ending the "don't ask, don't tell" law that requires gays in the military to hide their sexual orientation from their physicians and others. Delegates to the AMA Interim Meeting said the policy threatens the physician-patient relationship and compromises the medical care of gay patients in the military.The military reserves the power to inspect service members' medical records for combat readiness purposes. So any mention of their sexual orientation could result in discharge under the federal law governing the military's tary's policy on gays, known as "don't ask, don't tell."
The law puts gays in the military and their physicians in an untenable situation, said Wisconsin Medical Society delegate Paul A. Wertsch, MD, [pictured] who brought the issue before the house. "If you can't trust your doctor to tell the truth, you're not going to tell the truth," said Dr. Wertsch, whose son is gay. "If a doctor feels that by writing down the truth, he can get you in trouble, that's a bad situation."
The "don't ask, don't tell" law is "hurting people, it's making doctors lie, it's having patients not get proper care and it's hurting the military," said Dr. Wertsch, a family physician.
His original resolution asked the AMA to lobby the armed forces to change policy to protect the confidentiality of any disclosures regarding sexual orientation. But military physicians testified in reference committee that federal law governed the matter and the law is what needs to change. The committee strengthened the resolution to call for a complete repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" law, and the house adopted it without debate.
"The AMA took the horse by the reins in doing what needed to be done to call for the repeal of something that creates such disparities and such health care risks," said Jennifer Chaffin, MD, a San Ramon, Calif., forensic psychiatrist who chairs the AMA Advisory Committee on Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Issues. Dr. Wertsch also serves on the committee.
Alexander Nicholson, executive director of Servicemembers United, which represents gays actively serving in the military and veterans, testified before the AMA reference committee. "This is yet another nail in the coffin of the flawed and outdated 'don't ask, don't tell' law," he said later, "It should send a strong message to those who continue to blindly claim that this policy works."
A July 2008 Washington Post-ABC News poll found that 75% of Americans back allowing gays to openly serve in the military.
After months of inaction and growing complaints from gay advocacy groups, President Barack Obama in October reaffirmed his campaign pledge to sign legislation allowing gays in the military to reveal their sexual orientation.
"President Obama has been clear ... that he is committed to repeal the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy," said Lt. Col. Jonathan Withington, a Dept. of Defense spokesman. "He has also been clear that he is committed to doing it in a way that is least disruptive to our troops, especially given that they have been simultaneously waging two wars for six years now."
Repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" is likely to be part of next year's Defense Dept. authorization bill, according to Rep. Barney Frank (D, Mass.), who is one of three openly gay members of Congress.
Marriage disparities
A separate AMA Council on Science and Public Health report found that gay families face a host of health disparities, such as unequal access to health insurance benefits, due to laws barring them from marriage.
"Exclusion from civil marriage contributes to health care disparities affecting same-sex households," said the council's report recommendation, which the house adopted.
The AMA's new policy -- also adopted without house debate -- commits the organization to working to reduce health disparities in gay families and supporting "measures providing same-sex households with the same rights and privileges to health care, health insurance, and survivor benefits, as afforded opposite-sex households."
The policy does not call for repealing the Defense of Marriage Act -- which denies federal benefits to same-sex partners -- or for backing state-level attempts to give gays access to civil unions or legal marriage.
Last night, advocates for marriage equality took to the streets of Manhattan to protest the New York State Senate’s 24-38 vote to deny basic civil marriage rights to gay and lesbian citizens of their state. Never ones to miss an opportunity to demonstrate their support for equality and offer their voices, Dale Bernstein, a member of PFLAG National’s board, and her husband, Gary, attended the protest that was held last night in Union Square. You can watch Dale’s comments here and hear her reminder to those who voted to deny marriage equality that they’ll hear from her at the ballot box.
Want to find out how the members of the New York State Senate voted? You can access the list on Marriage Equality New York’s website now.
Want to find out how the members of the New York State Senate voted? You can access the list on Marriage Equality New York’s website now.
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