BY DAVID CRARY, Associated Press
NEW YORK -- Just over half of 88 hospitals got top marks under a new rating system created by two national gay-rights organizations that hope the standards will result in more compassionate treatment of gay and lesbian patients.
Policies addressed in the ratings include patient nondiscrimination, visitation and decision-making rights for partners, staff diversity training and nondiscriminatory employment practices.
The hospitals participated voluntarily, and the groups behind the report said there will be no effort to rate hospitals that don't want to respond. Instead, they hope many hospitals will strive for high ratings as the survey recurs annually.
Called the Healthcare Equality Index, the ratings were designed by the Human Rights Campaign and the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association.
by Rex Wockner
Gay & Lesbian Times - San Diego News
Pride Rocks event moved from Manchester Grand Hyatt
In apparent response to media inquiries, PlanetOut Inc., the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, and the Human Rights Campaign acted swiftly April 22 and 23 to dissociate themselves from the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego.
PlanetOut, GLAAD and Global Hyatt Corp. have partnered to offer a Pride 2008 GLAAD Package rate at 26 hotels nationally and to stage “Pride Rocks” parties at three hotels, in San Diego, San Francisco and Boston.
But, the San Diego party now will be moved to another location in protest of the $125,000 donation by the owner of the San Diego hotel, Doug Manchester, to the ongoing campaign to amend the California Constitution to permanently ban same-sex marriage.
full article
By JOSHUA LYNSEN, Washington Blade
The Human Rights Campaign is endorsing 14 contenders for U.S. Senate, but an openly gay candidate from North Carolina is not among them.
HRC endorsed Sens. Max Baucus (D-Mont), who scored 67 on the last HRC scorecard; Joe Biden (D-Del.), who scored 78; Susan Collins (R-Maine), who scored 78; Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), who scored 89; Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), who scored 78; John Kerry (D-Mass.), who scored 100; Mary Landrieu (D-La.), who scored 89; Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), who scored 100; Carl Levin (D-Mich.), who scored 78; and Jack Reed (D-R.I.), who scored 89.
Also endorsed were the Senate campaigns of Reps. Mark Udall (D-Colo.), who scored 100 on the last scorecard, and Tom Udall (D-N.M.), who scored 75. Senate candidates Al Franken of Minnesota and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, both Democrats, rounded out the endorsement list.
full article
HRC joined forces with Equality Maryland and local GLBT residents to meet with state legislators during Equality Maryland's annual Lobby Day. Hundreds of GLBT constituents braved the cold and wind to show their support for GLBT civil rights and ask their legislators to support the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act (a marriage equality bill) and the Transgender Anti-Discrimination bill (which would add gender identity to existing state law prohibiting discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations and credit).
One the eve of the Chesapeake primary, hundreds of GLBT members and allies gathered on the Lawyer’s Mall outside the state capitol in Annapolis, Maryland, to rally and lobby for civil rights. Equality Maryland sponsored Lobby Day, where constituents asked their legislators to support the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act and the Transgender Anti-Discrimination bill.
For the first time in the state’s history, legislators will have the prospect to extend full marriage protection to same-sex couples. They will also have the chance to ensure protection from workplace discrimination. Last year, the transgender bill was defeated by one vote in the Senate committee.
full story
On Wednesday, over 30 students from across the country will head to Washington, DC for the fifth "Claim Your Truth" Summit, HRC's training program for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students at the country's Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
This year’s four-day event, aptly themed “The Power of Your Voice,” will include workshops and discussion sessions led by former NBA player and author
John Amaechi, HRC staff, and other gay activists to help students use their voices to transform their campuses and communities. The students will also meet with their congressional representatives to lobby for passage of federal hate crimes legislation and the
Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA).
.
If you wish, you may contact me by voicemail at 909-7GayGay (909.742.9429).
Alternately, you may fill out the form below; the voicemail system will call you.
This site may contain copyrighted material, the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Such material is available in effort to advance understanding. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
BY DAVID CRARY, Associated Press
