LGBTQ Justice

2010-12-09T09:57:00.000-08:00

http://www.citylimits.org/news/articles/4235/for-transgender-homeless-choice-of-shelter-can-prevent-violence

For Transgender Homeless, Choice Of Shelter Can Prevent Violence
A pilot policy to allow transgender people to choose between men's and women's shelters has reduced violence. But women's shelters are safer for either identity.

Tiffany Jones is legally a man but identifies as a woman. Thanks to a pioneering New York City policy, she was able to go to a women's shelter when she became homeless. Were she to go to a men's shelter, she claims, "I’d be beaten up or raped."

Tiffany Jones became homeless when she aged out of foster care last year. Although Jones identifies as a woman and takes female hormones, her legal paperwork identifies her as a man. But Jones was pleasantly surprised when she went to apply for help at a men's shelter last September and was asked if she was transgender and wanted to live in a women’s shelter.

Passport Gender Marker

2010-06-10T16:09:00.001-07:00

June 10, 2010
State Department Issues New Policy Guidelines on Passport Sex Marker Changes
Happy LGBT Pride Month! We are very pleased to tell you that the U.S. Department of State today introduced new policy guidelines on changing the sex marker on passports.

Beginning today, when a passport applicant presents a doctor's certification that he or she has undergone treatment for gender transition, their passport will be updated to accurately reflect their sex. Sex reassignment surgery is no longer required to change the gender on an American passport.

Transgender Americans face extreme danger when traveling abroad in the many countries that are hostile to them. Many also experience harassment when entering and leaving this country. Adoption of this safety-focused policy is a giant step forward in protecting transgender Americans and in fulfilling the State Department's commitment to protect all Americans when they travel, work or live overseas.

Under the new policy, it is also possible to obtain a temporary passport in the appropriate sex if a physician's statement shows that an applicant is in the process of gender transition.

The new policy and procedures are based on standards and recommendations of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH). We are happy to bring you this news and we will continue to update our web site with more detailed information.

Lost in the Crowd Interview on BLOGtalk; Queenz of Media & Susi Graf

2010-06-01T10:33:00.000-07:00

Tiwonge and Steven

2010-05-29T07:39:00.001-07:00

A gay couple who were jailed in Malawi have been pardoned by President Bingu wa Mutharika.

Mr Mutharika, speaking as UN chief Ban Ki-moon visited Lilongwe, said he had ordered their immediate release.

Steven Monjeza, 26, and Tiwonge Chimbalanga, 20, were given 14-year jail terms after being convicted of gross indecency and unnatural acts.

The case has sparked international condemnation and a debate about homosexuality in the country.

Mr Ban said he welcomed the president's decision.

Correspondents say Malawi is a deeply conservative society where religious leaders equate same-sex liaisons with Satanism.

Mr Mutharika, who has in the past dismissed homosexuality as alien, said he had set them free on humanitarian grounds.

"These boys committed a crime against our culture, our religion and our laws," he said after meeting Mr Ban.

"However, as the head of state I hereby pardon them and therefore ask for their immediate release with no conditions."

Aid donors and human rights groups have been putting pressure on his government to respect the rights of minority groups.

2010-05-27T11:41:00.001-07:00

Invisible: By Samantha Box

2010-05-25T09:45:00.000-07:00

http://www.therawfile.org/stories/invisible.html

DADT

2010-05-25T06:04:00.000-07:00

We've just gotten word. Congress is scheduled to vote this week on repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" – and we urgently need your help.

The right wing has been gearing up for this fight and their barrage of e-mails and calls has already started. It is critical that your legislators hear from you today!

In the House, Rep. Jerrold Nadler has already joined the 190 members of Congress who have said they'll vote to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

If we're going to win this, we need as many New York residents as possible to speak out against "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" within the next 24 hours.

There's not a moment to lose. Click here to help flood Rep. Jerrold Nadler's office with emails calling for an end to this discriminatory law.

Every moment this failed law stands, it not only hurts our military readiness and national security – it insults the dignity and equality of every lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender American.

Your email today will help us show Rep. Nadler that the residents of New York recognize that – on the battlefield – it doesn't matter whether a soldier is lesbian, gay or straight. What matters is that a soldier gets the job done.

After years of fighting to ensure that men and women in uniform can serve openly, we've never seen this much momentum for repeal. But our progress has been the right's battle cry – and at this pivotal moment, we can't leave a single vote to chance.

Click here to tell Rep. Nadler to repeal this law now and include a timeline for implementation that allows the Pentagon to complete its study.

Year # 2 of the 40 under Forty

2010-05-18T10:21:00.000-07:00

Has a whole year gone by already?

Congratulations to the new list of 40 Advocates under 40

Chad Griffin
Rostam Batmanglu
Robert Rave
Kenyon Farrow
Mia Mingus
Gloria Bigelow
Brigham Yen
Coya Artichoker
Alex Nicholson
Jamie Roberts
Nathan Manske
Lamalani
Jimmy Nguyen
Vincent Jones
Larkin Mackey
Joshua McBride
Ireen Wust
James Duke Mason
Carl Sandler
Robert Garcia
Jake Shears
Jullian Michaels
Asher Kolieboi
Dean Spade
Robert Aguirre-Sacasa
Michael Fluck
Molly Schiot
Luke Montegomery
Nate Guidas
Kim Storm
Selly Thiam
Doug Burkman
Ben Burkman
Jolie Justus
Frank Mugisha
Tina Marry
Shannon Wentworth
Adam Bouska
Jeffery Self
Jarred Zeringue

TRAILER.mov

2010-05-18T08:28:00.000-07:00

lost in the crowd teaser

2010-05-18T08:27:00.000-07:00

College Team Teaches a Lesson in Acceptance

2010-05-10T14:56:00.000-07:00

College Team Teaches a Lesson in Acceptance
Jonathan Cohen for The New York Times

Andrew McIntosh (27) at Oneonta College's final home game of the season. He said being an athlete was an obstacle to his coming to terms with being gay.
By KATIE THOMAS
Published: May 7, 2010

ONEONTA, N.Y. — The Oneonta men’s lacrosse team marched two by two onto the field, sticks held with purpose for the final home game of the season. Beneath their helmets, the players flashed hard looks and cheeks smeared with eye black.
Enlarge This Image
Jonathan Cohen for The New York Times

Andrew McIntosh played lacrosse for Oneonta College. He said teammates accepted him when he announced he was gay.

Tough and menacing is the team’s reputation around this State University of New York campus in the foothills of the Catskills. Even Dan Mahar, the head coach, acknowledges his players are viewed as a bit “rough around the edges.”

But this season, the team is developing a new reputation — as models of tolerance — after one of its captains announced in an online essay in February that he was gay. The senior, Andrew McIntosh, said he had not heard a single disparaging comment from his teammates.

“I was embraced with open arms,” he said. “I had teammates come up and give me handshakes, and people saying it takes a lot of guts to do that.”

Sports have long been viewed as inhospitable to gay men. The number of American male professional team athletes who have come out can be counted on two hands. In locker rooms, antigay slurs are tossed around as casually as borrowed towels. Yet for those who follow the increasingly common stories of athletes who decide to come out while in college, McIntosh’s story is not an anomaly, but the norm.

“For some reason, people continue to think that gay people in sports will have a rough time, but we haven’t seen in 10 years anyone kicked off their team,” said Cyd Zeigler, the co-founder of Outsports.com, referring to male athletes. The site published the essay by McIntosh and has served as a public home for gay athletes to tell their coming-out stories. Since the Web site began in 2000, Zeigler estimates that more than two dozen college and high school athletes have used the site to reveal that they are gay.

Still, for players who rely on an athletic scholarship or are beholden to a coach, “you’re afraid of the unknown,” Zeigler said.

That was the case for McIntosh, who started playing T-ball in kindergarten and by sixth grade had graduated to football and lacrosse. As he entered high school, sports became a refuge from what McIntosh described as confusing feelings about his sexuality.

“I took sports so seriously because I didn’t have a personal life,” he said. “That was my partner. I didn’t have anything to fall back on.”

Sometimes, that single-mindedness came at a cost. McIntosh said he tried to commit suicide after his team lost a football game and with it, a chance at the playoffs — one of several times he said he considered taking his life. He blamed his failure on the field on his attraction to men.

“I would think to myself, because you’re thinking that way, you lost the game,” he said.

In college, McIntosh’s discomfort with his identity led him on a path across New York State, first as a scholarship athlete at C.W. Post University on Long Island, then as a transfer student at SUNY Plattsburgh. He eventually arrived at Division III Oneonta College in the fall of 2008.

Being an athlete, he thinks, kept him from coming to terms with his sexual orientation.

“I just thought, you cannot be a gay athlete,” he said. “Gay and athlete don’t go together.”

At Oneonta, McIntosh made an impression as a confident, serious player. At 6 feet 2 inches and 215 pounds, he is an imposing defender and quickly became a starter. In the classroom, he earned good grades as an adolescent-education major.

Mahar said that bus drivers and high school recruits sometimes confused McIntosh for a coach.

“He has just very mature, very likeable qualities to him,” Mahar said.

McIntosh was just the kind of player that Mahar was trying to cultivate. Mahar was then in his second year as the coach and was working to improve the reputation of the team.

“We have some good players, but none of them are going to be drafted,” he said. “My job is to prepare them to go and get real jobs and to be successful after they leave Oneonta.”

One afternoon in the spring of 2009, Mahar pulled the team out of practice after some players described one of his drills as “gay.” Mahar said he had been hearing such language on the bus and during practice.

“Regardless of how you feel about whether being gay is right or wrong,” Mahar said he told the team, “the language is not appropriate.”

For McIntosh, it was a welcome signal.

“I had never heard a coach say that before,” McIntosh said.

That summer, McIntosh decided to confront his sexual identity. It had been a good year — he had adjusted well, and Mahar had recently named him one of four team captains for his senior year.

“I started thinking: ‘What is the matter with me?’ ” McIntosh said. “ ‘Why can’t I beat this?’ That’s how I thought, too: ‘I’m going to beat this.’ And I finally just gave in and just said, ‘This is who I am,’ and I decided I don’t want to live this way.”
Enlarge This Image
Jonathan Cohen for The New York Times

Andrew McIntosh with his father, Robert, and his mother, Cathy. “I figured he'd tell me when he was ready,” she said.

McIntosh told those closest to him first: two friends, his sister, his brother, his parents. His sister, who is also gay, directed him to Outsports.com, which McIntosh described as a revelation. Through the site, he became reacquainted with the story of Andrew Goldstein, a Dartmouth lacrosse player who in 2003 revealed to his team that he was gay. McIntosh tracked down Goldstein and sought advice.

“I didn’t feel alone anymore,” McIntosh said.

McIntosh’s family had known that something was amiss, but “I didn’t know what he was struggling with,” said his mother, Cathy McIntosh. She realized he was gay about a year before he broke the news, she said. “I figured he’d tell me when he was ready.”

Later that summer, McIntosh told his coach, broaching the topic first in an e-mail message. For McIntosh, telling Mahar and other athletes presented the greatest risk of rejection.

“I didn’t want to seem vulnerable,” he said. “I didn’t want people to think, ‘Oh, he’s not doing too well mentally.’ ”

Mahar said he tried to make McIntosh feel as comfortable as possible.

“I know that that was a very difficult and anxious conversation for him,” Mahar said. “I wanted Andrew to leave the office knowing he was supported, and this did not change anything as far as I was concerned.”

In his online essay, McIntosh wrote that his coach assured him that “if we had a roster of 30 players and 15 of them did not want to play on the team because I was gay, he would tell them to leave the team.”

Buoyed by the positive response, McIntosh told the other captains and some of his closest friends on the team. In January, he wrote a thank-you note to Outsports.com. Zeigler suggested that he write his own story.

“Everybody has a story that some kid is going to connect with,” Zeigler said.

McIntosh agreed. But before it went online, he had to tell his team first. McIntosh asked the coaches to give him some time after practice one day in February.

“I just spoke right from the heart,” he said.

Several of the players said they were surprised, but ultimately unfazed by McIntosh’s news.

“It’s not every day that your lacrosse captain comes out to you,” said Joe Schofield, 20, a sophomore. “I was a little surprised, but it was kind of like, ‘Oh, that makes sense.’ ”

So how did a team that had once been reprimanded for using insensitive language come to embrace a gay teammate? Goldstein, the former Dartmouth lacrosse player, said the macho atmosphere ultimately did not mean very much.

“I think when they find out that the guy next to them — this is his life — it becomes real,” said Goldstein, who briefly played professional lacrosse and is now pursuing a doctorate in molecular biology at U.C.L.A. He was greeted with similar support when he told his Dartmouth team he was gay. “It’s not just some slur that they passed on from hearing from someone else.”

Zeigler says the experience of female athletes who are gay is very different. Although they are openly gay in larger numbers than men, he said female athletes had to fight the opposite stereotype — the assumption that all women who play sports are gay. As a result, female athletes who are gay have sometimes encountered harassment from coaches and fellow teammates. For male athletes, however, “the response is either indifference, or it’s positive,” Zeigler said.

Mahar said he had heard that a handful of opposing players had yelled epithets at McIntosh during games, and he said one opposing coach falsely accused McIntosh of using inappropriate language before a game — something Mahar said he believed was related to McIntosh’s sexual orientation.

Mahar said he planned to address the issue at a conference meeting later this year.

But McIntosh said he had never heard anything negative.

“It’s really at the point now where we’re just out there to play lacrosse,” McIntosh said.

In the locker room, McIntosh said, “it’s business as usual. We talk about life and how is your day going.”

If anything, McIntosh and his teammates said, the situation makes for some good jokes.

On a team trip to North Carolina earlier this year, “some of us said, ‘I hope a girls’ soccer team shows up at the hotel,’ ” recalled Andy Morris, 20, and a sophomore. “Mac goes, ‘I hope a guys’ soccer team shows up.’ ”

Speaker: Gender issues hurt kids in foster care

2010-04-28T16:23:00.000-07:00

Posted: Monday, April 19, 2010 1:30 pm | Updated: 12:14 pm, Mon Apr 19, 2010.

By SARA GIBONEY Hub Staff Writer | 0 comments

KEARNEY — “It wasn’t just the other kids in my group home who were calling me ‘faggot.’ It was the staff, too. I had nowhere to turn for help,” said one child in foster care.

A caseworker deems a child unadoptable because of his sexual orientation. Foster parents allow a child to be bullied because he is gay. A lesbian teen in foster care is sent to therapy to “fix” her sexual orientation. A male teen in foster care is forced to participate in masculine activities such as football because he acts femininely.

Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender — or GLBT, for short — teens are often bullied, taunted, isolated and degraded when living in foster care, according to Adam McCormick, an associate professor of social work at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa.

“There really does seem to be, in the foster care system, this denial of existence of GLBT youth in our care or those of us who do acknowledge their existence, a desire for them to remain silent and invisible,” he said.

McCormick spoke at the University of Nebraska at Kearney Child Welfare Conference Friday. The theme was “Culturally Sensitive Child Welfare Practice: Putting Children and Families First.”

McCormick presented “Maltreatment Experiences of GLBT Youth.”

McCormick said 5 percent to 12 percent of youths in foster care identify themselves as GLBT and 20 percent to 40 percent of homeless and runaway youth who us services identify themselves as GLBT.

He added that resources on GLBT youths in foster care are limited.

“It really does seem to be overlooked and under-investigated,” he said.

The number of youths who identify themselves has GLBT is probably greater because many youth don’t feel safe coming out to their foster parents.

Many GLBT youths who are not supported run away or are kicked out of their foster home, McCormick said. One in three gay and lesbian youths reported being physically abused shortly after coming out to their caretakers.

“GLBT youth, in general, are at an increased likelihood of experiencing some form of abuse whether it be physical abuse, sexual abuse or psychological abuse,” McCormick said.

McCormick said there is an increase in risk behaviors among GLBT youths in foster care. Risk behaviors include truancy, substance abuse, behavioral issues and engaging in criminal activity.

Those issues aren’t initially thought to be related to sexual orientation. “But when we dig a little deeper we realize that in many cases it has everything to do with their sexual orientation,” McCormick said.

GLBT youths often bounce from foster home to foster home.

Seventy-eight percent of gay and lesbian youths in care report that they were removed from or ran away from their most recent placement because of issues related to sexual orientation.

“In many cases, their experiences don’t get much better. In many cases, they get much worse,” McCormick said.

When youths are punished for coming out, he said, they often experience significant psychological damage.

“Essentially, what we’re doing is punishing them when they’re really the only ones who have done nothing wrong,” McCormick said.

McCormick said agencies should adopt written, nondiscrimination policies; provide training to youths, staff and caregivers about GLBT issues; address negative attitudes about people who are GLBT; reach out to the GLBT community to recruit agency staff, volunteers and mentors; include GLBT books and magazines in agency resource libraries; use respectful terminology that does not make assumptions about individual’s sexual identity; and work closely with GLBT youths to address their needs.

First public gay wedding in China

2010-04-28T11:52:00.000-07:00

Early this month, China celebrated its first gay wedding – unofficial, but the male couple say they will ‘never desert’ each other. 47-year-old Zeng Ge and 27-year-old Xiao Pan tied the knot in a small bar in Chengdu on January 3rd.

"We are no longer hiding any more. The wedding is our happiest and most precious moment. Thousands of gays and lesbians get married in France, Finland, the UK. Why couldn't we?" Zeng, a divorced architect, told China Daily.

Zeng met Pan, 27, a demobilized soldier last November at a bar. They fell in love with each other at first sight, he said.

"His bright and enchanting smile almost blinded me. And I am so addicted to his gentle and soft voice."

At the ceremony, while most were from Xiao Pan and Zeng Ge's inner circle, there were a couple of onlookers. As they put their rings on each other, some "acted as if they were watching animals, some even kept pointing here and there," said Zeng Ge.

Ever since the gay couple made their relationship public in November they have been the subject of revilement from family and friends.

"All the capital in my company has been frozen by my younger brother.

"My sister warned me she would never call me her brother unless I break up with Pan; and I have answered hundreds of phone calls from friends and relatives, who say they feel ashamed of me.

"But we are deeply in love and will never desert each other," Zeng told China Daily.

Zeng said the couple feared discrimination and had thus moved to a small town near Chengdu where they were unknown to avoid unwanted attention.

Gay sex was legalised in China in 1997, and homosexuality ceased being classed as a mental illness in 2001.

2010-04-17T14:21:00.001-07:00

http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/04/14/transgender.irpt/index.html?iref=allsearch

www.kickedoutanthology.com

2010-04-14T08:21:00.000-07:00

link here

Kicked Out: New York Release from Samantha Stark on Vimeo.

Pass this on to your networks,

2010-04-14T08:10:00.001-07:00

Help reverse the damage that will done by this misrepresentation. Please forward widely as this will undoubtedly effect stigma and suicide rates among the next generation of LGBTQ Youth at the most crucial time in their development,

--
Lucky S.Michaels
--

The American College of Pediatricians (ACP) is a small, mostly southern anti-gay advocacy group consisting of notorious activists and angry doctors who have an axe to grind with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). They are upset because the group has a pro-gay stance (and scientific) that claims:

Therapy directed specifically at changing sexual orientation is contraindicated, since it can provoke guilt and anxiety while having little or no potential for achieving changes in orientation.

To counter the AAP’s research-based conclusion, the ACP produced an error-riddled website, Facts About Youth, that grossly distorts research for political gain. To read more on this bastardization of real science check out Box Turtle Bulletin and Dr. Warren Throckmorton’s sites. Worse, the ACP sent a letter to more than 10,000 school superintendents to promote the site. One can only imagine the harm this might do to LGBT youth who come out in school.

Today, Dr. Gary Remafedi, M.D., M.P.H., a University of Minnesota researcher wrote a blistering letter to the American College of Pediatricians to hold them accountable for misusing his research. Here is the letter in its entirety. Take the time to read it – it is worth it.

TO: American College of Pediatricians

Dear colleagues,

I am deeply concerned about misstatements attributed to our research on the “Facts about Youth” website of the American College of Pediatricians (http://factsaboutyouth.com/ [accessed on April 12, 2010]), as they appear in the “Letter to School Officials” and “What You Should Know as a School Official.”

The first reference to our research in these documents deceptively states: “Rigorous studies demonstrate that most adolescents who initially experience same-sex attraction, or are sexually confused, no longer experience such attractions by age 25. In one study, as many as 26% of 12-year-olds reported being uncertain of their sexual orientation1…”

Although the finding (“26% of 12-year-olds…”) is accurately reported, the sentence preceding it invites misinterpretation. Our original interpretation, as presented in the discussion section of the paper, is: “Taken together, these data suggest that uncertainty about sexual orientation and perceptions of bisexuality gradually give way to heterosexual or homosexual identification with passage of time and/or with increasing sexual experience.”

The second reference to our research in your handout erroneously states:

Among adolescents who claim a “gay” identity, the health risks include higher rates of sexually transmitted infections, alcoholism, substance abuse, anxiety, depression and suicide. Delaying such labeling significantly reduces these medical and psychiatric health risks. For example, researchers find that adolescents who defer “coming out as gay” decrease the risk of suicide at a rate of 20 percent for each year that they delay self-labeling as homosexual or bisexual.15

This paragraph is wrong on two counts:

1) It incorrectly reports the results of the research and, once again, misrepresents the conclusions. As a matter of fact, we wrote:

For each year’s delay in homosexual or bisexual self-labeling, the odds of a suicide attempt diminished by 80%. These findings support a previously observed, inverse relationship between psychosocial problems and the age of acquiring a homosexual identity. Compared with older adolescents, early and middle adolescents may be generally less able to cope with the isolation and stigma of a homosexual identity;

2) Citing our work (reference #15) at the end of the paragraph would attribute the content of the entire paragraph to our publication when, in fact, the first sentence (“Among adolescents who claim…”) is not what we have written.

As the first author of the two publications in question and the authorized contact for related communications, I am responding to the inaccuracies in your website documents on behalf of the investigative group. However, the following reactions and suggested remedies are from my own personal perspective, and my co-authors may contribute additional thoughts and suggestions at their discretion.

I have previously encountered and confronted the problem of misrepresentation of research from other advocacy groups such as yours. However, this episode is especially troubling and egregious because it is led by colleagues within my own profession— who certainly have the ability, education, and experience to access, review, and accurately summarize the Pediatric scientific literature.

Our professional code demands of Pediatricians nothing short of the highest standards of ethical conduct in medical education, research, and patient care. Knowingly misrepresenting research findings for material or personal gain is a flagrant violation of this code of conduct. Implicating me in this chicanery is doubly damaging to my professional reputation and career by holding me accountable for misstatements and by associating me with a cause that most ethical Pediatricians will recognize as misguided and hurtful to an entire class of children and families.

Please immediately remove any reference to our work from the website. As a suitable remedy, I also would urge you take the following actions:

1) Publicly retract your references to our research with a written statement posted on the home page of your website;

2) Until then, any donations made to your organization since the “Facts about Youth” website was launched should be either returned to the donors or contributed to the LGBT youth research fund of the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine.

I look forward to your prompt attention and response to these issues.

Sincerely,

Gary Remafedi, M.D., M.P.H.
Professor, Department of Pediatrics
University of Minnesota
CC: Robert Blum, M.D., PhD; Michael Resnick PhD; James Farrow M.D.

1. Researcher Reprimands Sham Pediatric Group for Distorting Research

On April 12, Dr. Gary Remafedi, MD, MPH, a University of Minnesota researcher, wrote a letter to the American College of Pediatricians holding them accountable for misusing his research. The American College of Pediatricians (ACP) – not to be confused with the 60,000 member American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) – has distributed over 10,000 letters to school superintendents containing factually inaccurate information about sexual orientation and gender identity and promoting unsupported and potentially dangerous “reparative therapies” for LGBT students. The ACP is a small advocacy group masquerading as a legitimate medical organization. Founders of the ACP left the AAP after the organization adopted policy rejecting the use of “reparative therapy.”

Last week, the AAP sent letters to state chapter leaders warning them about the letters and the activities of the ACP. This week, AAP state chapters will be distributing letters to state education officials, advising education officials that the ACP’s campaign, “does not acknowledge the scientific evidence regarding sexual identity, sexual health, sexual orientation, or effective health education." The letter also directs education officials to a report, Just the Facts About Sexual Orientation and Youth: A Primer for Principals, Educators, and School Personnel, a resource developed by the AAP in collaboration with the American Psychological Association (APA) and other prominent national professional associations. The AAP urges education officials to reference this document in communications to school superintendents and other educators in their states.

Information: To read the letter by Gary Remafedi, go to http://www.truthwinsout.org/pressreleases/2010/04/8136/.

To read the report Just the Facts About Sexual Orientation and Youth, developed by the AAP, APA, and other prominent national professional associations, go to http://www.apa.org/pi/lgbt/resources/just-the-facts.pdf.

To read a recent blog post from HRC Family Project Director Ellen Kahn on HRC Back Story, go to http://www.hrcbackstory.org/2010/04/ideology-trumps-childrens-well-being/.

--
Lucky S.Michaels

Jamaica Stages First Public ‘Gay Pride

2010-04-09T09:31:00.001-07:00

MONTEGO BAY, April 8, 2010 – Imagine. Gay Pride in Jamaica. The words of William Urich, the chair of InterPride Committee on International GLBTI Human Rights, on the first public Pride even on the Caribbean island which was staged yesterday.

Officially, it was the Walk for Tolerance from Howard Cooke Park, along Howard Cooke Boulevard and ending on the beach.

“Yesterday was an amazing day, here in Montego Bay,” he told UK Gay News. “My eyes well up at the very thought of the day's outstanding and astounding success.”

Encouragingly, the walk had police support, Mr. Urich added.

Around 100 took part in the walk, which was headed by Reverend Elder Nancy L. Wilson, the openly lesbian presiding bishop of the International Movement of Metropolitan Community Churches.

One participant commented: “I never thought I would live to see the day that this could happen in Jamaica.”

And other ‘buzz phrases’ heard at the event included “I'm exercising my rights”, “I feel so liberated”, “I have validation”, and “exuberant”

The Walk for Tolerance was organised by Jamaica AIDS Support for Life (JASL) is Jamaica’s oldest and largest Non-Governmental Organization working in the area of HIV/AIDS awareness, prevention and care.

2010-04-09T09:24:00.000-07:00

2010-04-02T10:06:00.001-07:00

Maranatha: Riversiders for LGBT Concerns presents a discussion on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer ministry.

Sunday, April 11, 2010
1:00 p.m.

The Riverside Church

Room 411 MLK

Wendy Sealey, Rev. Melvin Miller and Rev. Pat Bumgardner will be speaking from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. in Room 411 MLK on April 11th. They will address youth, homeless outreach, and ecumenical issues regarding LGBT ministry.

Kicked Out of Prom - Kicked Out of Home.

2010-04-02T09:49:00.000-07:00

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/4/2/852587/-WLGB-Presents:-Kicked-out-of-prom,-Kicked-out-of-home

Supes told of LGBT harassment in city shelters NEWS

2010-04-02T09:48:00.000-07:00

Published 04/01/2010
by Seth Hemmelgarn
s.hemmelgarn@ebar.com

Orlon Ryel, with his dog, Armani, speaks at the Board of Supervisors' Government Audit and Oversight Committee about his treatment in San Francisco's homeless shelters. Photo: Rick Gerharter

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San Francisco Supervisor David Campos was among those expressing support last week for an LGBT-friendly shelter after dozens of people testified at a Board of Supervisors committee hearing about harassment in San Francisco's shelters.

The abuse is often met with indifference by the facilities' staff, many said, and nearly everyone testifying called for a shelter for LGBTs.

After the Thursday, March 25 meeting of the supervisors' government audit and oversight committee, Campos, who is openly gay, told the Bay Area Reporter that there's "clearly a need" for an LGBT-friendly shelter and supervisors "need to think about it as we're looking at next year's budget."

"The current shelter system is not addressing the needs" of homeless LGBTs, said Campos. Having an LGBT-friendly shelter would be "an important step."

Campos is not on the committee but had asked for the hearing.

Problems in the shelters have been well-known among queer homeless advocates, but the supervisors appeared shocked at the testimony and grilled a staffer from the Human Services Agency, which oversees the shelters.

People testified about being called "faggot," being afraid to use bathrooms or showers, and dealing with staff who at times participated in the harassment, among other problems. Many people said they would rather sleep on the streets then stay in one of the city's shelters.

Jason Skerik testified that on his first night in a shelter he was called a "faggot" and he was pressured to give up his bed. He left the shelter and stayed on the streets.

"Staff had no control over the situation," he said, but "they were doing the best they could."

Orlon Ryel, a transsexual man, discussed the separate quarters for men and women in one shelter and said when he had asked staff where he could stay, his request was met with "giggles and grins."

"They really had no idea what to do with me," Ryel said.

He also said during his shelter experience he couldn't find a safe place to shower, go to the bathroom, or sleep, and he felt under "constant threat."

Beck, who goes by one name and identifies as transgender/queer, is the youth program coordinator for the San Francisco LGBT Community Center. He said he deals with up to 300 queer homeless youth a year, and it's "high time this issue be addressed."

He said every day, someone gets off a Greyhound bus in San Francisco, seeing the city as "a beacon of light," but it often takes months for them to find housing.

Beck said nothing is being done about the harassment people face. Staff can be transphobic, he said, and there's a lack of training. He said youth need a chance to evaluate their own services, and there should be a queer and homeless youth board.

Marcus Arana, a transgender man who's also known as Holy Old Man Bull, is a contract compliance officer for the city's Human Rights Commission. He said the commission has had dozens of trainings for the shelters, but they're hearing some of the same complaints about the same staff members.

He said from 2003 to 2010 there were 40 recorded complaints related to LGBTs. Those included complaints related to transgender women being segregated unnecessarily into separate shower times from non-transgender women; staff and clients using incorrect pronouns or using pronouns in a mocking way; and clients making threats of violence out of the hearing of shelter staff, so that the transgender person felt intimidated and could not sustain a complaint because shelter staff didn't witness the offense, he wrote in an e-mail after the hearing.

Arana also said dozens of other cases were often resolved with a phone call or an e-mail to the shelter.

Tommi Avicolli Mecca, a longtime queer activist who works with the Housing Rights Committee, said the hearing was "amazing" but also said "we need more LGBT-specific housing and we need it now." He added the people present barely scratched the surface of LGBTs who have had problems at the shelters.

There are currently only a handful of housing slots specifically designated for homeless queer youth. Avicolli Mecca and others pointed out there are housing needs for all age groups.

Karen Gruneisen, associate director of Episcopal Community Services of San Francisco, was one of the few shelter representatives to speak at the hearing. Gruneisen said her agency should be held accountable, but noted employees have due process rights, and said "we can't get rid of homophobia in our community."

After testimony from three other people, Supervisor Sophie Maxwell expressed concern about Gruneisen's testimony.

"If you're getting our money, there's really, really no excuse" for inaction, said Maxwell, who sits on the committee along with Supervisors Eric Mar and Carmen Chu. "As a city, and as a county ... if I'm looking at budget issues, I want to know something's being done" about harassment of LGBTs in the shelters, she said.

In a phone interview the morning after the hearing, Gruneisen told the B.A.R. , "discrimination on any basis is not tolerable in our shelter or anybody else's shelter." She said staff "work to create a culture of respect and understanding" through policies, trainings, and other means.

She and Maxwell had met after the hearing, and Gruneisen said, "I think we came to a better understanding of what I was saying and what she was reacting to." Maxwell didn't respond to a request for a follow-up interview about the hearing.

Gruneisen said that since July 2009, there have been 10 to 15 complaints related to transgender women. Those included complaints from clients who wanted transgender women assigned to a different area.

A 'disconnect'

Scott Walton, manager of adult programs in the housing and homeless division of the city's Human Services Agency, testified that policies and procedures are in place addressing verbal threats, physical assaults, and derogatory language.

But Campos said there was "a very clear disconnect" between the policies and procedures Walton described and the reality that people accessing the system seemed to be experiencing.

Maxwell eventually told Walton, "When people come and the room is full, we have a responsibility to find out what's going on."

In his response, Walton said, "We're hearing things today we're not hearing through our complaints and grievance procedures."

According to Walton, most shelters in the city have reported that no LGBT-related concerns or complaints have been raised in the last nine months.

After the hearing, Campos mentioned the possibility of putting a working group together to address the issues brought up at the hearing that would include people from the LGBT community and city departments.

He said he hoped for another hearing in the next few weeks, once the Human Services Agency and others have had time to collect more information

Argentine Congress to talk with Trans Individuals

2010-03-31T11:44:00.000-07:00

The Argentine Congress debate the laws of identity for people transShare .. Yesterday at 10:48 a.m.
LGBT Federation ATTTA Argentina (Association of Shemales Transsexuals and Transgender) invites an encounter between the trans concerning the country and deputies as the nation.

The aim of the conference is to present the identity projects for trans people (transvestites, transsexuals, transgender) presented in the National Congress of the Federation and Argentina LGBT Rep. Silvia Augsburger. Also will discuss the projects submitted by the National Institute against Discrimination at the Ministry of Justice, Security and Human Rights.

The meeting will be held on Wednesday March 31 at 10:30 pm. Heads in the Hall of the House of Deputies.

Trans people have hindered, if not forbidden, our right to identity in Argentina. From very small we are assaulted at school, and for our own family, usually ending, at an average age of 12 years on the street for the sole use of sex work, for our livelihood. At this point we restrict access to health, education and work, among other rights, result of which our life expectancy is 35 years (data reported by the Office of the Ombudsman of the City of Buenos Aires .)

This is one case in which discrimination clearly a situation of extreme exclusion and marginalization that restricts access of people to their human rights and basic civil. To end this situation, we must first remove all legal obstacles that make trans people see we are prevented from freely exercising our right to identity. This requires:

- The repeal of the Code of Misdemeanors and Misdemeanor
- Adoption of a law authorizing the Trans Identity modification of the registry changes without sex reassignment surgery or judicial authorization
- Adoption of a law of health care for trans people to authorize treatment and sex reassignment surgery without judicial authorization

To converse with the trans concerning about this situation and the proposals in Congress to advance the recognition of their rights, we invite you to talk with us.

For more information:

Maria Rachid, president of the Federation LGBT Argentina: 15 6548-9608
Marcela Romero, ATTTA Coordinator and Vice President of the Federación Argentina LGBT 16 64764182
Claudia Pia Baudracco, ATTTA Coordinator 15 62642973
Esteban Paulón, Secretary General of the Federation LGBT Argentina: 0341 15 6068171

2010-03-30T15:30:00.001-07:00

Advocate To Partner With NBC News

The parent company of The Advocate announced today that they have inked a partnership deal with NBC News. Via press release:

Here Media and The Advocate, the world’s leading gay news source, announced today their new affiliate deal with NBC News Channel, an NBC News unit that provides content services to NBC television affiliates and other selected news outlets around the world. It’s the first partnership of its kind between NBC News Channel and an LGBT news outlet. The award-winning Advocate.com will now utilize NBC News Channel’s worldwide resources to create daily news segments that will air online and on air. The new collaboration continues The Advocate’s strategic overall expansion. The brand now produces its iconic print publication, breaking news and video content on Advocate.com, and The Advocate On-Air, a television and online newsmagazine.

“Media continues to evolve, and The Advocate continues to grow and deliver news and entertainment across all platforms,” said Paul Colichman, CEO of Here Media. “The Advocate’s partnership with NBC News Channel allows our brand a unique opportunity to focus an LGBT lens on issues important to gay and lesbian Americans and their families. Our editors and expert journalists look forward to breaking new ground in a diverse media landscape.” Advocate.com will host daily video news reports using footage from NBC News and its local television affiliates. Additionally, NBC News can access America’s most trusted gay news source by using Advocate talent and content when reporting on important gay issues to its predominantly mainstream audiences.

2010-03-30T05:51:00.001-07:00

MOHAWK —
A federal judge today approved a settlement that includes a series of reforms for the Mohawk Central School District in a gay student’s harassment lawsuit.
As part of the settlement, the school district agreed to the following:
Working with the Anti-Defamation League and to hold staff training on appropriate ways to address issues of harassment;
Reviewing its policies and procedures governing harassment based on sex, gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation;
Reporting to the New York Civil Liberties Union and the Department of Justice on these efforts as well as its ongoing response to complaints of discrimination and harassment.
The New York Civil Liberties Union sued the school district in August on behalf of a student who alleged that he was repeatedly harassed, threatened and physically assaulted at school for being gay and not conforming to gender stereotypes. The civil rights lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York, maintained that district officials were aware of the bullying and did nothing to stop it. The school district denied the allegations in the complaint.
The student, identified by his attorney’s only as Jacob. was entering the ninth grade at Gregory B. Jarvis Junior/Senior High School when the lawsuit was filed earlier this school year. He has since transferred to a high school in another district.
The lawsuit drew the attention of the U.S. Department of Justice, which filed a motion to intervene in the case on Jacob’s behalf. That motion was pending when settlement negotiations commenced.
Under the settlement, Jacob has agreed to dismiss the lawsuit against the school district and its employees, and the Justice Department agreed to withdraw its motion to intervene.

Copyright 2010 The Observer-Dispatch. Some rights reserved

Kicked Out

2010-03-19T12:45:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone!
Just wanted to remind you that the NYC release of Kicked Out is TONIGHT 7pm at The Center! (208 West 13th St.) in room 310

I would really love to see you there. This book has been in the making for over two years. Its release has been a long time coming and I really value the support that you have given to me during that time and want you to be there to celebrate with me and the rest of the local contributors

There will be incredible readings from local authors as well as beautiful art on display.

Hope to see you there!

Sassafras

2010-03-19T12:41:00.001-07:00

Blogswarm: Demand LGBT Employment Rights Today
Filed by: Dr. Jillian T. Weiss
March 18, 2010 9:30 AM
Print

Note from Bil: The Bilerico Project is participating in a blogswarm today with Daily Kos, Open Left, Americablog, Towleroad, Pam's House Blend, Joe My God, Michelangelo Signorile, David Mixner, Daily Gotham, Culture Kitchen, Taylor Marsh, PageOneQ, Dan Savage, GoodAsYou, and many others. We're asking our readers to contact Speaker Nancy Pelosi and ask that she move the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (HR 3017) to a floor vote. Contact info at the end of the article.

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act, first introduced in 1994, would prohibit job discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. But LGBT people have never been able to achieve the enactment of the bill, known by the acronym of "ENDA".

Last year, the Administration's highest ranking gay official, Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry, indicated that ENDA was highest priority on the LGBT civil rights agenda.

"If we can get ENDA enacted and signed into law, it is only a matter of time before all the rest happens," he said. "It is the keystone that holds up the whole bunch, and so we need to focus our energies and attention there."

Hearings were held last Fall in the House and in the Senate to demonstrate the need for the bill, and testimony was heard on the severe unemployment, underemployment and harassment experienced by LGBT workers. Witnesses testified to the scientific studies demonstrating this.

But nothing has happened. Click here to find out why and join us in swarming Speaker Pelosi's office.
Why We Need ENDA And Why It's So Hard To Get

The reason that workers need this protection is that the LGBT community is a relatively small minority, probably around 5% of the U.S. population, and there are many people with prejudices against them. This is also one reason that the bill has had difficulties in Congress: the minority in need of protection from discrimination are drowned out by the many bigots.

Civil rights, by definition, are needed most by those against whom there is most prejudice.

Surveys over the last fifteen years show that 16% to 68% of LGBT people surveyed reported experiencing employment discrimination. Preliminary results from a major survey of transgender workers show 97% reported harassment on the job and 26% lost their jobs because of their gender identity.
What's the Holdup?

Various sponsors promised that the bill would move to a vote in August, September, October, and November of 2009. But in order to go to a vote, the bill had to pass through the House Committee on Education and Labor via a "markup" procedure. Markup was finally scheduled for November 18, 2009. But at the last minute, the markup was postponed, and has still not been rescheduled.

Initially, the Committee said that some technical language required tweaking, ostensibly to insure that plaintiffs could not recover too much money or attorney fees, and to prevent lawsuits based on inadvertent discrimination. But it has become increasingly clear that something else is at work.

A clue to the inaction: Speaker Nancy Pelosi publicly told Democrats that she would not move controversial bills. Meanwhile, the House Committee has stated its readiness to move, but is waiting for a signal from Speaker Pelosi.
Why We Need To Demand ENDA Now

We know that Speaker Pelosi is sympathetic to our cause. Clearly, she needs encouragement, because she won't commit to giving the signal to move forward. Meanwhile, LGBT Americans continue to suffer discrimination and harassment with no recourse. Why should we accept mere lip service?

President Obama famously said in a campaign speech that "Power concedes nothing without a fight."

The quote is from an oration Frederick Douglass gave on August 4, 1857 speaking about the emancipation of West India. The complete quote is very powerful in context, and is germane to the subject at hand (emphasis mine):

If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet depreciate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters. This struggle may be a moral one; or it may be a physical one; or it may be both moral and physical; but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what a people will submit to, and you have found out the exact amount of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them; and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress. Men may not get all they pay for in this world; but they must pay for all they get. If we ever get free from all the oppressions and wrongs heaped upon us, we must pay for their removal. We must do this by labor, by suffering, by sacrifice, and, if needs be, by our lives, and the lives of others.

By the end of the Civil War, and by the end of the 1960's civil rights movement, Douglass's evaluation proved true time and time again.

We demand that LGBT people receive the same job rights as other people: to be able to get and keep a job based only on relevant factors, like job performance, and not on irrelevant criteria, like sexual orientation or gender identity.

There is a majority in both Houses of Congress in favor of ENDA. Now is the time to move it.

In 30 states across America, there is no law against firing someone based on his or her sexual orientation, and the same is true in 38 states for gender identity.

Will you join with us in asking that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people be protected from job discrimination?
Please call Speaker Nancy Pelosi at 202-225-4965. Ask that the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, HR 3017, move to a vote.

Please be polite, but firm.

After you call, please tell us how the call went by clicking here. If you get a busy signal or hang up, let us know that too.

If you want more information on Speaker Pelosi's position on ENDA as stated by her office, you can find it here

Let's work together to let Speaker Pelosi know that we want action now!

At the end of the day, we will post a round-up of how the day went. Stay tuned.

2010-03-10T10:00:00.001-08:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/yepokayeebo/sets/72157623290494507/

Today is Statewide GENDA Call-In Day - It's Time to Act!

2010-03-09T08:13:00.000-08:00

March 9, 2010

Last week, the New York State Assembly passed the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA). The only remaining obstacle to the bill becoming law is the New York State Senate. The time is NOW to take action and make our final push to get the Senate to vote to end discrimination against transgender New Yorkers.

GENDA would amend the state's human rights law to ban discrimination in housing, employment, credit and public accommodations. It also expands the state's hate crimes law to explicitly include crimes against transgender people.

We need you to call your Senator and the lead Senate sponsor Tom Duane at their Albany offices to tell them that you want them to bring GENDA to the Senate floor and pass it. We're at a crucial moment and it is vital that they hear from you.

Here's how to make your calls:

1. Find your State Senator's Albany phone number here. You can reach Senator Tom Duane at (518) 455-2451.

2. Tell them the number of the GENDA bill (S.2406) and ask them to support GENDA and bring it to the floor for a vote.

3. Use these talking points to convey the urgent need for GENDA and the broad support it has:
Transgender people experience tremendous job discrimination. One-fifth of transgender New Yorkers have incomes below $10,000 a year.
28% of transgender New Yorkers have experienced a serious physical or sexual assault motivated by hate.
78% of New York voters support GENDA.
Unions representing 2.1 million working New Yorkers support GENDA.
30 Fortune 500 companies based in cities like Rochester, Corning, New York City and White Plains already have non-discrimination policies that include gender identity and expression. It's time for the rest of the state to catch up.
547 clergy and lay leaders representing over 20 different religious denominations support GENDA.
4. After your call, please report your results to our partners at the Empire State Pride Agenda. Tell them which Senators you called, who you spoke to in the Senator's office, and what response you received. Your feedback will help us pass GENDA in 2010!

Working together, we can win! If you can't call today, call tomorrow. Start making those phone calls now!

Can you help phone bank for GENDA this Thursday?

Phone banking is a key element in the strategy to win protections for transgender New Yorkers. If you have some time to spare, you can make a huge difference. The GENDA phone bank will take place this Thursday, March 11th, from 5:30 - 8:30 pm at the offices of the Empire State Pride Agenda. You can arrive any time between 5:30 and 7:30 pm and stay for as long as your schedule allows.

Please respond by calling Joanna at 212.627.0305, x103 or sending an email letting her know that you are available.

Please forward this message to anyone you think might be interested in helping.

Senators ask FDA to lift gay blood donor ban

2010-03-05T09:31:00.001-08:00

Friday, March 5, 2010

Cheryl Wetzstein

The push to eliminate the lifetime ban on blood donations from gay and bisexual men received a boost yesterday, when 18 senators signaled their support for such a change.
"[H]ealthy blood donors are turned away every day due to an antiquated policy," Sen. John Kerry, Massachusetts Democrat, said in a letter to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Margaret Hamburg.
"We live in a very different country than we did in 1983," when gay and bisexual men were permanently "deferred" from giving blood, due to the HIV/AIDS crisis, the letter said.
Now that more is known about HIV transmission and dramatic technological advances have been made to detect HIV in blood, "we agree with the American Red Cross, America's Blood Centers, AABB, and others that the time has come for the FDA to modify" its donor rules, said senators, including 17 Democrats and Sen. Bernard Sanders, Vermont independent.
They asked the FDA to consider using the same deferral policies with men who have sex with men (MSM) that apply to heterosexuals who engage in high-risk behavior - usually a 12-month deferral. This would mean that a gay or bisexual man could donate blood if he had not had sex with a man in the past 12 months.
The senators' letter to the FDA comes a week after the Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC) released a report on why the lifetime ban on MSM blood donations is punitive, unfair and unnecessary.
"We don't want to increase the risk to the nation's blood supply," said Joseph Wardenski, lead author of the GMHC report and a former associate at Davis Polk & Wardwell law firm.
"We would like to reduce discrimination, and we would like a blood-donor pool that's large enough to ensure that there's a safe and sufficient blood supply, particularly in times of emergency," he said.
U.S. blood bank organizations have been amenable to change since 2006. The AABB, America's Blood Centers and American Red Cross support a one-year deferral for MSM because that would be "consistent with the deferral period for other potentially high-risk sexual exposures," the organizations said in a joint statement.
But an association for people with blood-clotting disorders supports the FDA's very cautious approach.
When it comes to pathogens transmitted in the blood supply, "100 percent of the risk is borne by the recipient" and none is borne by the donor, said Mark Skinner, president of the World Federation of Hemophilia.
Blood-donor rules are discriminatory by design, Mr. Skinner said. But the rules are grounded in science and intended to protect the end users, not target a group, he said, noting that hemophiliacs like himself can never give blood. "It really isn't even a gay issue because lesbians are not excluded unless they fall into other risk categories," Mr. Skinner said.
"We can't look narrowly at HIV; we have to look at the whole system," he added. The hemophilia community "serves as the canaries in the mine for the nation ... we're on the front line, and we require constant vigilance."
The lifetime ban on MSM donations was established because in the early stages of the AIDS epidemic a major share of cases involved transmission via blood transfusion. Now such cases are extremely rare - less than 1 percent of all new HIV infections, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.
However, transmissions with HIV-infected blood still occur, and the number of "bad units" would increase if the MSM deferral was changed, Dr. Andrew I. Dayton told an FDA workshop in March 2006.
His computer models found that if MSM were deferred for five years, about 1,430 HIV-infected units would enter the blood supply in the first year of the new policy; with a one-year deferral, the number of infected units would "about double," to 2,780, Dr. Dayton said.
This "small but definite increased risk" is part of the reason the FDA has upheld the MSM ban several times, most recently in 2006. MSM have an HIV prevalence "60 times higher than the general population, 800 times higher than first-time blood donors, and 8,000 times higher than repeat blood donors," the agency added.
Other countries that currently ban MSM from blood donations are Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland and the Netherlands. Hong Kong also bans them.
Still, gay rights groups have long been fighting to change blood-donor rules, and several countries have relaxed their policies. On March 1, Sweden began allowing MSM to give blood if they have not had sex with a man in the past 12 months.
Argentina, Australia, Hungary and Japan already have such "one-year deferrals," and South Africa has a six-month deferral policy. In 2008, New Zealand changed its 10-year deferral for MSM to five years.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual individuals risk psychiatric disorders from discriminatory policies | ScienceBlog.com

2010-03-05T09:15:00.000-08:00

Lesbian, gay, bisexual individuals risk psychiatric disorders from discriminatory policies | ScienceBlog.com

2010-03-01T15:38:00.000-08:00

Out on the street
A quarter of Milwaukee’s homeless youth are LGBT

1 2 3 4 5
(4 votes, average 5.00 out of 5)
Written by Louis Weisberg, Staff Writer
Thursday, 11 February 2010 09:45
As a student at Nicolet High School, Kevin never fit in. An African-American who likes to wear a little make-up, he endured constant teasing and bullying. Eventually he transferred to The Alliance School, which helps students who are not succeeding in traditional schools due to harassment.
But when Kevin’s mother discovered he’s gay, she threw him out of the house. Determined to earn a diploma, he camped out on the streets near the Alliance campus and continued attending classes until he graduated. Last fall, an older gay man gave him a place to live in exchange for sex.
Andrea was banished from home because she’s a lesbian. She was placed in foster care with a fundamentalist Christian family and ran away. Most of her teenage years were spent on the streets, sleeping under porches and bridges, dodging the police and street violence.
“Kevin” and “Andrea” aren’t their real names, but their stories are true. They are also surprisingly common, as reported in a groundbreaking new study compiled by Cream City Foundation.
Titled “State of Youth Homelessness,” the study found that 23 percent of the estimated 400 youth (ages 24 and under) living on Milwaukee’s streets on any given night are LGBT. The report’s findings were based on a yearlong research project by the Center for Urban Initiatives and Research at UW-Milwaukee, which collected data from several area agencies serving homeless youth.
The report’s findings are consistent with those of a National Gay and Lesbian Task Force study released three years ago, which found that 20-40 percent of the nation’s homeless youth identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.
This problem appears to be growing. As societal acceptance of LGBT people has increased, people are coming out at younger ages and encountering rejection from their families, according to experts from the local agencies involved in the report. The problem, they say, is particularly acute in evangelical-dominated cultures, such as the African-American community, and it has been exacerbated by the culture of violence that has overspread the nation’s streets.
Mean streets
Life on the streets is harsh for any homeless youth. “The shocking statistic is that within 72 hours of a young person being homeless, they are more likely to engage in survival sex as a means of getting their basic needs met,” says Lisa Gumm, youth shelter program manager at Pathfinders, which provides outreach and support services to homeless youth.
For LGBT youth, the outlook is particularly grim.
“They face even greater risks, due to the isolation they experience,” Gumm says. “They don’t feel that they’re accepted and they have fewer options.”
In fact, homeless gay and lesbian youth experience an average of 7.4 more acts of sexual violence than their heterosexual peers and twice the rates of sexual victimization, according to data compiled by the National Alliance to End Homelessness, Lambda Legal, National Network for Youth and the National Lesbian Rights Center. These agencies also found that transgender youth are frequently harassed, assaulted and arrested by police because of their gender presentation.
Tess Gallun, who teaches documentary filmmaking for UW-Milwaukee’s Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, has witnessed the problem up close, through the lens of her camera. She and her students are creating a documentary – the working title is “Out of Respect” – about the lives of homeless LGBT youth in Milwaukee. They’ve followed the stories of Kevin, Andrea and others who’ve been abandoned by their families because of their sexual orientation.
While their sexual orientation is the cause of their homelessness, it’s the last thing on their minds when Gallun meets them. They’re focused simply on staying alive, she says – “trying to find a warm bed for the night and something to eat.”
Despite the rejection they’ve endured, “all the youth we’ve worked with just want to be reunited with their families,” Gallun says.
Tears swell in her eyes as Gallun shows a picture of the 16-month-old boy she and her partner Mary adopted at birth. He was born addicted to cocaine, but now he’s healthy and thriving.
“What’s going on in our society that people lose their ability to love and care for their own child?” she asks.
As societal acceptance of LGBT people has increased, people are coming out at younger ages and encountering family rejection. – Photo: Dan Zaitz
Repairing the system
Despite the magnitude of LGBT youth homelessness, the problem was hardly a blip on the radar screen of local social service agencies when Cream City Foundation began coordinating the study. There was no dedicated housing, no advocacy, no mentorship program and no funding. Nor was there LGBT sensitivity training for shelter staff workers.
“People who are licensed to work in group homes are not required to take a course that teaches them how to treat LGBT youth in a culturally sensitive manner,” says Cream City Foundation executive director Maria Cadenas. “A lot of time there’s verbal and physical abuse from the other youth and the staff. There’s no enforcement of fair and equal treatment for our youth. That’s a broken system.”
Last year, Cadenas began convening regular meetings of local agencies, including Lad Lake, Milwaukee LGBT Community Center, Pathfinders and St. Aemilian-Lakeside. Together these agencies created Q-Blok, the first program in the city to work specifically on LGBT youth homelessness. Cream City Foundation and the Greater Milwaukee Foundation stepped forward with three years of funding.
The first order of business was to provide shelter. This required a creative approach. Due to the abuse LGBT homeless youth experience in foster care and emergency shelters – as well as the sexual predation they encounter on the streets – they’re wary of being placed with adults or in group settings. Q-Blok adopted a plan used successfully in Minnesota that provides temporary independent housing along with attachment to a sponsor family that lends emotional support and celebrates milestones with them.
Since its inception in December 2009, 22 young people have enrolled in the program, nearly filling its capacity of 25, says Karie Lowe, program coordinator at Lad Lake. Five sponsor families are in training.
“The kids are coming in and they’re very excited about (the program) and they’re doing good,” Lowe says. “With funding for 25 youth per year for the next three years, we’re going to be able to help 75 youth. That’s huge.”
In addition to housing and a sponsor family, the youth receive case management services. Q-Blok also has street outreach, mentorship and advocacy components. And it provides LGBT training to shelter workers.
New hope
While Q-Blok is an important step forward, everyone agrees there’s much more work to be done. Inevitably, many youth will have to be turned away due to limited space, as well as legal complications that prevent the program from serving youth under 18. Some will survive, others will fall victim to the streets.
Still, Gallun is heartened by the progress she’s seen since beginning her documentary.
“Now there are (LGBT) questions being asked when a youth enters a shelter,” she says. “There’s more sensitivity. They’re being careful not to put (these youth) with a foster family or case worker who’s homophobic.”
Among the youth Gallun and her crew have followed are a young gay couple, Jim and John (not their real names). John left home after his mother, a religious zealot, painted his bedroom red one day, telling him the color was the blood of the devil. He and Jim survived the streets by sticking closely together, Gallun says.
Since getting an apartment through Q-Blok, their lives have turned around, she says. They check in regularly with their case workers. They cook meals together. They’re both enrolled at Milwaukee Area Technical College.
“It’s been hopeful to see them creating a family together,” Gallun says. “They empower each other.”

Just Treatment of Transgender People in NYPD Custody

2010-02-26T13:23:00.000-08:00

The Petition

Dear Police Commissioner Ray Kelly c/o the New York Police Department,

We, members of New York City’s transgender communities, community organizations, advocates, and allies, ask that you implement changes in the New York City Police Department (NYPD) policies that would improve our safety in interactions with the police. Specifically, we insist that you adopt the “Proposed Policy for the Treatment of Transgender People in NYPD Custody” and the associated changes to the NYPD patrol guide, submitted to the NYPD in April 2009.

Transgender New Yorkers report experiencing verbal harassment, disproportionate arrests for ‘quality of life’ offenses, invasive and unlawful searches for the purpose of determining gender, and housing placement in NYPD custody that could expose them to harassment and violence while in NYPD custody.

To respond to these needs, a group of New York City based community organizations and individuals – including those who have personally come into contact with the NYPD – came together to propose comprehensive changes to the NYPD patrol guide. We drew on our own experiences as well as on the policies of cities that have led the way in addressing interactions between police and transgender communities, including Washington, D.C.; San Francisco, California; Seattle, Washington; Portland, Oregon; and Toronto, Ontario.

The result of this work is reflected in the Proposed Policy for the Treatment of Transgender People in NYPD Custody that includes:

*NYPD officers will refer to an arrestee with the name and pronouns the arrestee has used to identify him or herself and not require proof of an individual’s gender or challenge an individual’s gender identity.

*NYPD officers will refrain from using slurs or making lewd, derogatory, or harassing remarks based on gender (including gender identity and expression), sex, or sexual orientation.

*NYPD officers will not ask personal questions about gender (including gender identity and expression), sexual orientation or practices, or medical history unless necessary for an investigation.

*NYPD officers will not construe gender identity or expression as evidence that an individual has engaged in prostitution or any other crime.

*Under no circumstances shall NYPD officers frisk or search any person for the purpose of determining that person’s gender or to view or touch the person’s genitals.

*Placement decisions about a transgender arrestee will be based on a determination of where the individual will be safest .

The NYPD is failing to meet constitutional standards of treatment for transgender people in police custody. Instead, transgender New Yorkers have experienced unjust and inhumane practices that violate their rights. By adopting these policy recommendations, the NYPD can take a necessary step closer to fulfilling its own promise of courtesy, professionalism, and respect for the transgender community and all New Yorkers. We demand your leadership on this issue and the immediate implementation of the Proposed Policy for the Treatment of Transgender People in NYPD Custody.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned.

Sign petition

#
Name: Glo Ross on May 5, 2009

# 2
Name: Jennifer Ramirez on May 5, 2009

# 3
Name: Gabriel Arkles on May 5, 2009

# 4
Name: Gael Guevara on May 5, 2009

# 5
Name: Nathan Metrick on May 5, 2009

# 6
Name: Valentina Simmons on May 5, 2009
All we are asking is for the same respect that would be shown any other person.

# 7
Name: Kathryn Belcher on May 5, 2009

# 8
Name: Dr. Edgar Rivera Colon on May 6, 2009

# 9
Name: Al Davidian on May 6, 2009

# 10
Name: Catherine Gaffney on May 6, 2009

# 11
Name: Ronan Kelly on May 6, 2009

# 12
Name: Victoria Grace on May 7, 2009

# 13
Name: K Applegate on May 7, 2009

# 14
Name: Alyssa &Quot;Jacks&Quot; Overstreet on May 7, 2009

# 15
Name: Adam Edge on May 7, 2009

# 16
Name: John Collis on May 7, 2009

# 17
Name: Catherine Granum on May 7, 2009
This is important for and efficient and fair policing.

# 18
Name: Terell Richardson on May 7, 2009

# 19
Name: Anonymous on May 7, 2009

# 20
Name: Anonymous on May 7, 2009

# 21
Name: Phoebe Cox on May 7, 2009

# 22
Name: Maegan BetEnvia on May 7, 2009

# 23
Name: Aaron Miner on May 7, 2009

# 24
Name: Rae Henaghan on May 7, 2009

# 25
Name: Ben Stock Of Brainpower on May 7, 2009

# 26
Name: Sarah Sykes on May 8, 2009

# 27
Name: L T on May 8, 2009
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# 419
Name: Anonymous on Aug 11, 2009

# 420
Name: Adam Viera on Aug 11, 2009

# 421
Name: Kyle Lafferty on Aug 11, 2009

# 422
Name: Catlin Rideout on Aug 11, 2009

# 423
Name: Jennifer Thibodeau on Aug 12, 2009

# 424
Name: Elizabeth Solimine, MPH on Aug 12, 2009

# 425
Name: Jackie Breyer on Aug 12, 2009

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Name: Geraldine Solimine on Aug 12, 2009

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Name: Marianne Cooper on Aug 12, 2009

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Name: Erika MacDonald on Aug 12, 2009

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Name: Cara Herbitter on Aug 12, 2009

# 430
Name: Alison Alpert on Aug 12, 2009

# 431
Name: Sand Chang on Aug 13, 2009

# 432
Name: Jessica Yunker on Aug 13, 2009

# 433
Name: Narelle Ellendon on Aug 13, 2009

# 434
Name: Amanda Harris on Aug 13, 2009

# 435
Name: Tina Santiago on Aug 13, 2009

# 436
Name: Camille A. Abrahams on Aug 13, 2009

# 437
Name: Robert Cohen on Aug 14, 2009

# 438
Name: Elise Schuster on Aug 17, 2009

# 439
Name: Nell Hirschmann-Levy on Aug 23, 2009

# 440
Name: Jennifer Roman on Sep 10, 2009

# 441
Name: Kim Watson on Sep 11, 2009
Comments: I am hoping the NYPD can see this as history in the making to allow us to be as visible as possible . Help us to help them stop the dicrimination to the transgender community. Community Healthcare Network Transgender Program.

# 442
Name: M. Dru Levasseur on Sep 11, 2009

# 443
Name: Joseph M Colucci on Sep 24, 2009

# 444
Name: GaëL Krajzman Johns on Oct 16, 2009

# 445
Name: Sarah Patterson on Nov 8, 2009

# 446
Name: Phillipe Kleefield on Dec 4, 2009

# 447
Name: Darakshan Raja on Dec 20, 2009

# 448
Name: Stephanie Quainoo on Dec 27, 2009

# 449
Name: Jason Li on Jan 17, 2010

# 450
Name: Samantha on Feb 17, 2010

# 451
Name: Anonymous on Feb 26, 2010
Comments:
# 452
Name: Aida Miron on Feb 26, 2010
Comments: I share my view with the undersigned. It is time we are respected as

lawful citizens of New York regardless of our gender.

Name: Lucky S. Michaels on Feb 26, 2010
Comments: MCCNY Homeless Youth Services; Sylvia's Place

more ask and tell

2010-02-25T12:56:00.000-08:00

Despite more top military brass questioning "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" this week – including Gen. David Petraeus – key members of Congress are still on the fence.
And as the right wing attacks grow more desperate, we're responding with the one thing they can't argue against: military personnel – gay and straight – who know firsthand how destructive this law is.

We're signing up an army of service members and their friends and family to help us end this discrimination once and for all. Will you help?
Take this short survey on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" – and then pass it along to everyone you know with any personal connections to the military.
We're ratcheting up the pressure on Congress, the White House, and military leaders
to move quickly to repeal this law.

And as we do, no voices are more powerful than those of service members and their loved ones.

When right-wing groups claim that ending this law would amount to "radical social engineering," or when they say that anyone in favor of repeal must not know much about the military – it's these service members and their families who have the authority to speak the truth.

Right now, there are an estimated 1 million lesbian and gay veterans in the United States, largely unidentified and unconnected – and there are millions more straight veterans and military family members who have not had the chance to speak out.
These are voices Congress needs to hear from. We need your help to find them.

HRC supporters have already sent thousands of emails and calls to key leaders, and we'll ask you to do that again soon – but this survey will help us find the voices to end this unconscionable discrimination.

CONSTRUCTION BEGINS ON “TRUE COLORS,”

2010-02-24T11:37:00.000-08:00

NEW YORK CITY’S FIRST PERMANENT HOUSING FOR HOMELESS LGBT YOUTH

West End Intergenerational Residence HDFC, Inc. has closed financing and commenced construction on an exciting new housing development effort: True Colors Residence, located in Central Harlem.

True Colors Residence will be New York City’s first permanent housing facility with support services for 18-24 year old lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth with a history of homelessness. The undertaking was conceived by West End Executive Director Colleen Jackson, and by musical artist Cyndi Lauper and Ms. Lauper’s manager Lisa Barbaris. The project entails the construction of a new, energy-efficient multifamily building containing 30 studio apartments, indoor and outdoor community space for residents, and a computer room and resource library. The building is named in honor of Cyndi’s Lauper’s support for the project and for West End, and references Ms. Lauper’s hit song, “True Colors.”

“Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth living on the streets and in foster care need our support more than ever,” said Cyndi Lauper. “In New York City, the True Colors Residence is going to play a big role in providing these young people with the leg up and encouragement they need. I am thrilled that construction has already begun and I am honored to be a part of this important project.”

Borough President Scott M. Stringer said, “West End has provided transitional housing for hundreds of homeless families and individuals over the years. Finding safe, affordable housing is step one for New Yorkers working to build a better life for themselves, and the groundbreaking for True Colors will create a refuge for some of our city’s most at risk young people, specifically the many homeless LGBT youth in our City. I applaud all of the work done by West End and Cyndi Lauper to design and launch this welcome mat for Central Harlem.”

To read the full True Colors Residence press release visit our website.

Jesus Was Gay?

2010-02-24T11:15:00.000-08:00

By Rev. Dr. Kenneth Brown, Advisory Board Member to Other Sheep for Asia

In this article, Dr. Kenneth Dobson says "I am ready to agree that Jesus was gay."

Sir Elton John has made headlines claiming that Jesus was gay

I read this week that Sir Elton John has made headlines claiming that Jesus was gay. The quote was:

JESUS was GAY - according to the gospel of SIR ELTON JOHN.
Source: An article by US Editor Pete Samson in the February 19th Internet issue of The Sun

The singer makes his controversial claim about the Lord in a new US interview that will enrage America's bible belt.

Elton, 62, declares as he pours out his heart to a magazine: "I think Jesus was a compassionate, super-intelligent gay man who understood human problems."

He adds: "Jesus wanted us to be loving and forgiving. I don't know what makes people so cruel. Try being a gay woman in the Middle East - you're as good as dead."

I am ready to agree that Jesus was gay

I am ready to agree that Jesus was gay.

I am not only ready to accept, I am ready to insist, that Jesus was gay, black, feminine, Hispanic (in Texas, for example), Christian (in Burma, for example), a migrant, an immigrant, a liberal, and that Jesus was in Auschwitz, in Salem (you know when), at Gettysburg, in Stalingrad ... wherever people are suffering Jesus is there, and radically one of them ... not just for them, but with them, one of them.

If Elton John needs Jesus to be gay for him, Jesus will be glad to be gay. Jesus let the "loose woman" wash his feet and dry them with her hair, and you know what THAT meant. You aren't sure? Well, use your imagination.

The theological problem doesn't come when we are one of those who are tortured, marginalized, abused, terrorized, or suffering, but when we are one of the abusers, the corrupters, the despots or the bigots. When we then claim Jesus is on our side, we will likely hear, "I never knew you" (Matthew 7:23). Strom Thurman, James Dobson (no relation) and Jerry Falwell cannot expect to be in the same line-up as their victims unless they were radically transformed in a process that went unreported. The trouble comes to even more of us when we are decent and basically good, and not involved, just minding our own business and keeping our noses clean. We will be surprised to find the fence is too razor sharp to sit on, and the weight of our non-involvement will weigh too heavily to keep us from being sliced right up the ... well, it isn't a pretty picture.

But, in reference to Jesus' gender orientation . . .

But, I think Sir Elton was referring to Jesus' gender orientation for which there is inadequate evidence to draw a firm conclusion one way or another. However, to say there is a grey area here is already going to offend those clinging to the buckle in the Bible belt.

review by Michel Fitos

2010-02-21T20:18:00.000-08:00

Submitted by Michel on Thu, 02/18/2010 - 20:37

Kicked Out
by Sassafras Lowrey

There is no One True Way to raise children, particularly as a queer parent. A large percentage of the time, I feel like the parenting choices I make are a direct reaction to my childhood, an effort to keep my kids from having to live through the same heartbreaks and setbacks. As I creep ever-closer to middle age, the harsh reality of what it was like to live as a queer youth has more or less faded to the dull roar of "it sucked, but I lived through it." This past weekend, I sat down to read Kicked Out by Sassafras Lowrey and was reminded what a long road it was to get here, to this house, these kids, this family, these steadfast and loyal friends.

It's impossible for me to discuss queer youth without talking about the friends of my 20s. There were three in particular, all around the same age. From the moment we met, we knew that we had large things in common: our friends were few, our families didn't know what do with us, and our kids were all around the same age. Although our children lent us a thin veneer of heteronormativity, we were all as queer as the proverbial three dollar bill. We were an undeniably strange quartet. All of us were imprecisely Goth, rail-thin, and right up in your face. Other young mothers could smell our queerness a mile away; other young queers were allergic to our kids. They all circled the wagons at our approach. Whether by choice or by necessity, we kept to ourselves, we became family.

My friends nowadays, earnest people in their 30s, talk about waiting until they're ready to have children. Ready? When they're born, then you start to know what you need to be ready for. We were certainly not ready for children back then, not a single one of us. We just woke up one day, already parents.

I was lucky: I had a husband, a solidly middle class boy who was mostly done with college. We married two days before our daughter was born, just weeks after I turned 21. The relative certainty of financial solvency gave me unheard-of freedom: I was able to explore what kind of person I wanted to be. My friends had no such opportunity. Even with the meager cushion of welfare, their survival depended on their wits and cunning.

They all had their various ways of making ends meet: sex work of various sorts, telemarketing, and other variously soul-sucking occupations. It was exhausting, it was demoralizing, it was utterly unsustainable. It quickly became apparent to each of them in turn that there is always a man out there, somewhere, who will want what you have to offer. They learned that by giving up your identity, sometimes you can ensure your survival.

It's very easy to portray queer youth homelessness solely as a number, because the numbers are, quite frankly, shocking: 40% of the nation's homeless youth are LGBTQ. There are other horrifying numbers, too: this book will tell you sobering numbers like what percentage of gay teens experienced a negative reaction from their families when they came out, what percentage of queer youth attempt suicide, and many more, all carefully and thoroughly footnoted. There are bleak discussions of terminology: runaway vs. throwaway vs. thrownaway. It is full of facts and numbers, and those things are important, especially for people who might not be aware of the enormity and severity of the issue.

From the vantage point of our comfy couches, it's easy to read even such shocking numbers as the ones above and dismiss them as statistics. Often, it takes personal experience to make an issue seem real. If you haven't faced this sort of terrifying uncertainty yourself, it's nearly impossible to grasp. The real strength of Kicked Out is how, by telling survivors' stories in their own voices, the stories feel viscerally real. The contributions all feel very soul-baring and Truthful-with-a-capital-T, particularly the incredible photos by Samantha Box. One photo in particular captures two people embracing, one kissing the other's shoulder, that wordlessly speaks volumes.

In the introduction, editor Sassafras Lowrey writes about being kicked out at the age of seventeen:

I needed a book about how to live through this more than I needed to know I had somewhere to stay, to know I had a way to get to school or to know what I would have for dinner. I needed a book to prove to me that survival was possible.

And this is, very clearly, a book about survival. It isn't a particularly uplifting or cheery book, nor should it be. It's not grammatically flawless (as is unapologetically explained in the publisher's note). It is, quite simply, a very honest and starkly beautiful collection of stories from people who have Been There.

There are so many people that would benefit greatly from reading this book: parents of queer youth, providers and advocates, members of the LGBTQ community-at-large, and most importantly, youth who have been kicked out. I would recommend it, in fact, to anyone who knows, is, has been, or might ever be or know someone who has, in Sassafras' words, "lost their friends, families and homes because of whom they love or how they define their gender."

* Michel's blog

2010-02-19T12:52:00.000-08:00

Sylvia Rae Rivera
8th Anniversary of her Death

1951 - February 19, 2002

Thanks to wikipedia, we learn that Rivera was born July 2, 1952 and raised in New Your City and lived most of her life in or near that city. She was of Puerto Rican and Venezuelan descent. Her birth name was Ray (or Rey) Rivera. She was abandoned by her birth father José Rivera early in life and became an orphan after her mother committed suicide when Rivera was three years old. Rivera was then raised by her Venezuelan grandmother, who disapproved of Rivera's effeminate behavior, particularly after Rivera began to wear women's makeup in fourth grade.[3] As a result, Rivera began living on the streets at the age of eleven, where she joined a community of drag queens.

She was one of those rabble rousing resisters to queer oppression who literally led the charge at the Stonewall Inn, New York City, on the night of 27th of June, 1969, the night that a riot at the bar, touched off the open radicalization of the Gay Liberation Movement fighting back against police harassment directed at the most visible members of the community. She became a founding member of both the Gay Liberation Front and the Gay Activists Alliance and helped found STAR (Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries), a group dedicated to helping homeless young street transwomen, with her friend Marsha P. Johnson.

Rivera spent most of her life at the forefront of both transgender and gay activism, tirelessly advocating and demonstrating for LGBT rights, inclusive social policies and struggling against transphobia.

In 1970 Rivera formed a group called S.T.A.R. - Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries - to fight for the civil rights of transgender people, and provide them with social services support. The S.T.A.R. House lasted for two years until her crack habit caused her to lose the house. It was the first institution of its kind in New York City, and inspired the creation of future shelters for homeless street queens.

In 2000, she reformed S.T.A.R. pressuring the Human Rights Campaign to be more inclusive of transgender people. Even when hospitalized with liver cancer, Rivera never stopped working for the civil rights of transgender people and several hours before she passed away on February 19, 2002 she was meeting with LGBT community leaders.

An active member of the Metropolitan Community Church of New York, Rivera ministered through the Church's food pantry, which provided food to the hungry. Recalling her life as a child on the streets, she remained a passionate advocate for queer youth, and MCC New York's queer youth shelter is called Sylvia's Place in her honor.

Valentines Call to action

2010-02-15T09:30:00.000-08:00

As people around the world prepare to celebrate St. Valentine's Day, yesterday's arrests in Kenya highlight the continuing struggle among LGBTQI couples for the right to bless and build consensual, loving relationships.

Five guests preparing to celebrate a private same-sex wedding were arrested in Mtwapa after locals alerted the police of the intended nuptials. Reports also suggest that two of the men were victims of mob violence, as a crowd gathered around the villa, and later, the police station where the men were being held. Friday's raid followed a similar situation on Thursday, when officials intended to break up another ceremony but the couple and guests escaped before being arrested.

Kenyan police officials say the Friday wedding party will be subjected to an internal medical examination before charging them with homosexuality, a charge punishable with imprisonment. District Officials and local Christian and Muslim clerics have publicly praised the local community for their diligence in reporting the men. Their statements suggest that there is little distinction in public perceptions between committed same-sex couples and the culture of sex-tourism which is prevalent in local coastal resort towns.

These incidents continue to bring focus to the struggles of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex people in eastern Africa:
In Blantyr, Malawi, a judge recently denied bail for the second time to Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga, citing fear of violence against them as the reason. They remain in jail after being arrested during their engagement celebration in December.
In Uganda, tensions are running high as Pastor Martin Ssempa continues to organise a "million-man" march on 17 February in support of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill, a bill proposing harsh sentencing, including the death penalty in some cases. Local human rights organisations in Kampala are bracing themselves for the possibility of escalating violence against LGBTQI people in the wake of the march.
These events, in light of the history of Valentine's Day, carry a sense of tragic irony. The Catholic Encyclopedia mentions that one of the three St. Valentines associated with the 14th of February was an African whose history has largely been lost. He was martyred with several friends in unknown circumstances. Today, I am keenly aware that too many of our African siblings struggling for equal rights to self-expression and loving relationships have been lost in unknown circumstances. May we resolve that not one more lesbian will be raped without outcry; or a transgender sibling murdered without investigation; or a same-sex couple victimised by mob actions and religiously condoned violence without it being known, exposed and remembered.

This Valentine's Day, I call on people throughout the world to remember, pray and act in support of our LGBTQI and allied communities in Africa. MCC has African members who are involved in these continuing struggles locally, continentally and internationally. Whether testifying before US Congressional Committees in Washington, DC or working with passion on the ground in churches, hidden cell groups or NGOs in Uganda, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, and South Africa, they are standing courageously for the right to love. I call on our entire Fellowship and our friends to stand in Spirit and solidarity with each one of these freedom fighters and liberty lovers.

This Valentine's Day, I call on religious and civic leaders throughout the world to condemn religiously fuelled anti-homosexuality violence, whether carried out with stones or brutal legislation. Gay bashing is gay bashing, whatever the form. Our people bear the scars of homoprejudice in our bodies and lives. We proclaim that the time has come for homoprejudice to be named for what it is----a sinful prejudice that steals, kills and destroys precious lives created by a good and just Creator.

This Valentine's day, I call on lovers throughout the world, whether we are able to do so publicly or only privately, to give thanks for the partners God has given us. May we build lives of substance and mutual care----a good, blessed and joyful thing to do. Let us value our love with the fulness of sacred promises, resisting any lessening of our relationships and commitments through external or internal pressures. Together, we stand as Light, braving the winds of misinformation and unknowing. Together, we stand as Truth in a world that hungers for genuine love.

Our prayers and shouts of protest go out for those arrested in Kenya this weekend. We call for the immediate release of our brothers, in the name of all that is just and right.

May God bless and protect them,

//signed
+Nancy

The Rev. Elder Nancy Wilson

This statement prepared in conjunction with The Moderator's Global Justice Team,
Rev. Pressley Sutherland, Global Justice Liaison for Africa, and Rev. Pat Bumgardner, Chair.

Kicked OUT comes out...

2010-02-09T15:43:00.001-08:00

The national release for Kicked Out was part of the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force’s 2010 Creating Change conference. The reading was last Friday night at the conference hotel in Dallas, we sold out of books and it was incredibly well received (you can see more about it at www.kickedoutanthology.com)

NYC: Partnering with the NYC LGBT Center (gaycenter.org) Kicked Out is going to have it’s NYC release there on Friday March 19th. This event is going to include readings by NYC based contributors (if you are in NYC and I don’t know it and/or are close to the city and would like to participate in this event PLEASE let me know)

Boston: April 20 + 21st I’m being brought in by several local groups there will be release events specific for youth involved in those programs and then a city wide event. This is one of the times I’d LOVE to have recordings from folks (see previous email) OR if you are going to be in the Boston area and want to participate let me know ASAP.

NYC: April 24th we will be doing a second NYC event this time at Bluestockings the city’s radical independent bookstore- very queer, very wonderful, and a great place to support. This event just got booked late late late last week any NYC folks around I would LOVE for you to participate in this, anyone going to be in the city please let me know, and again I’d love to use recordings of other folks if you have access to technology to make that happen.

I would LOVE to see release events happen in other cities if that’s something you would be interested in organizing. The easiest places to make a release event happen are at independent queer or queer friendly bookstores. If you are interested in having an event but are nervous about contacting the bookstore please let me know, I’m happy to be a contact point for them about scheduling the event (though I will of course need lots of input from you since it will be your event), and certainly with getting books ordered through Homofactus Press etc. Let me know what you need and I will do anything I can to support you.
Some of you have already talked with me about trying to put a bigger event together partnered with a college or university with funds to bring me in and have me be part of it, that’s something I’m open to doing with any of you, so please get in contact if that’s something your interested in and we can discuss details.

p.s. all of your books were sent out so I’d imagine if you haven’t already received your copy you will be getting it any day now!

Looking forward to talking with you soon

Sassafras

Other Sheep's Open Letter about Uganda

2010-02-05T21:21:00.000-08:00

______________________________________________
Soulforce LogoAn Open Letter from Soulforce to Jan and Paul Crouch, founders of the Trinity Broadcasting Network, and the Evangelical Christian broadcasters who are featured on Lighthouse Television, TBN's affiliate in Uganda, including: Matthew Crouch, Joyce Meyer, Andrew Wommack, Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, Joel Osteen, T.D. Jakes, and Franklin Graham:

By now you are well aware of the anti-homosexual bill pending before the Parliament of Uganda. We urge you to denounce this bill. Use your personal friendships with President and Mrs. Museveni, with MP David Bahati (your Christian colleague who proposed this bill), and with Stephen Langa, (the Ugandan Christian organizer behind the bill) to take a public and passionate stand against it.

The media are blaming the visit to Uganda by three of your colleagues for this despicable and truly un-Christian law. In fact, for years you have used your Lighthouse Television programs, your radio broadcasts, and your massive public meetings to warn Ugandans of the so called "threat homosexuals pose to Bible-based values and the traditional African Family."

In no small part you are already responsible for the current call by Ugandan leaders to enforce the old law condemning lesbian and gay Ugandans to up to 14 years in prison. This new law increases that sentence to life imprisonment and even death by hanging. Denounce this new bill or the blood of lesbian and gay Ugandans will be on your hands.

It isn't just the "liberal media" who are condemning the bill. In mid-November, Exodus International, the ministry that promises to assist homosexuals in overcoming homosexuality, warned, "If homosexual behavior and knowledge of such behavior is criminalized and prosecuted, as proposed in this bill, church and ministry leaders will be unable to assist hurting men, women and youth who might otherwise seek help in addressing this personal issue." While Soulforce does not agree with Exodus that lesbian and gay people need to be "cured," we wholeheartedly agree with their position on this hateful bill.

Warren Throckmorton, a member of the Clinical Advisory Board of the American Association of Christian Counselors warned that this legislation would make their mission "to extend the love and compassion of Christ to all" a difficult if not impossible task.

Your colleague, mega-church pastor Rick Warren, in a very public video appeal to his fellow clergy in Uganda, gives five reasons why Ugandan Christians should not support the bill: (1) it is "unjust, extreme and un-Christian; (2) it would "force pastors to report their pastoral conversations with homosexuals to authorities; (3) "...it would have a chilling effect on your ministry to the hurting... homosexuals who are HIV positive will be reluctant to seek or receive care, comfort and compassion from our churches out of fear of being reported; (4) "All life, no matter how humble or broken, whether unborn or dying, is precious to God... It would be inconsistent to save some lives and wish death on others..." And (5) "the freedom to make moral choices, and our right to free expression, are gifts endowed by God." Warren reminds the clergy that Uganda is a democratic country "...and in a democracy everyone has a right to speak up." Warren concludes by urging them "to speak out against the proposed law."

The People of Soulforce urge you to take Rick Warren seriously. It is very possible that your silence on this matter will convince the people of Uganda that it is God's will to condemn homosexuals to life imprisonment or even death by hanging. Your powerful media voices have made you superstars to Ugandans. We implore you to use your power to denounce this bill. Wouldn't it be wonderful if this time the Christian community became known for love and justice rather than fulfilling the stereotype of the "liberal media" as 'hate-filled bigots?

ADDENDUM: EXAMPLES OF OTHERS WHO CONDEMN THE BILL

This bill has been condemned by leaders of Western nations including the Prime Ministers of Canada, Australia, and Great Britain and the President of the United States. The European Parliament passed a resolution against the bill and threatened to cut financial aid to Uganda if it is enacted. They described the bill as "state-legislated genocide."

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch urge Uganda to shelve the bill and decriminalize homosexuality.

The 16,000 members of the HIV Clinicians Society of South Africa and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS warned that excluding marginalised groups would compromise efforts to stop the spread of AIDS in Uganda where 5.4% of the adult population is infected with HIV.

The Sunday Times in South Africa warned Uganda that it is in danger of being "dragged back to the dark and evil days of Idi Amin."

The New York Times stated unequivocally "that such barbarism (in the bill) is intolerable and will make Uganda an international pariah."

The Washington Post labeled the bill "ugly and ignorant", "barbaric", and "that it is even being considered puts Uganda beyond the pale of civilized nations."

The Los Angeles Times warned that the bill would cause gay Ugandans to face an "impossible, insulting, historical, cruel and utterly false choice of having to choose between being gay and being African."

The Anglican Reverend Canon Gideon Byamugisha said that the Bill "would become state-legislated genocide."

The Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams has said in a public interview that he did not see how any Anglican could support it: "Overall, the proposed legislation is of shocking severity and I can't see how it could be supported by any Anglican who is committed to what the Communion has said in recent decades. Apart from invoking the death penalty, it makes pastoral care impossible - it seeks to turn pastors into informers."

The Vatican legal attaché to the United Nations stated that "Pope Benedict is opposed to 'unjust discrimination' against gay men and lesbians."

ADDENDUM:

AS IN THE US, PAUL CAMERON IS THE PRIMARY SOURCE OF THE HALF-TRUTH, HYPERBOLE AND LIES ABOUT HOMOSEXUALITY AND HOMOSEXUALS UPON WHICH THE BILL IS BASED

Stephen Langa, the March 2009 workshop organiser, specifically cited an unlicensed converstion therapist named Richard A. Cohen who states in a book that was given to Langa and other prominent Ugandans,

"Homosexuals are at least 12 times more likely to molest children than heterosexuals; homosexual teachers are at least 7 times more likely to molest a pupil; homosexual teachers are estimated to have committed at least 25 percent of pupil molestation; 40 percent of molestation assaults were made by those who engage in homosexuality."

These statements were based on faulty studies performed by Paul Cameron who has been expelled from the American Psychological Association, the Canadian Psychological Association and the American Sociological Association. Cohen, himself, confirmed the weaknesses of these studies, stating that when the book will be reprinted, these statistics will be removed.

ADDENDUM: OUR SOURCES

Jeffrey Gettleman, writing for the New York Times, January 4, 2010, reported on "Americans' Role in Uganda Anti-Gay Push."

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/04/world/africa/04uganda.html

Erin Roach, posted on Baptist News, November 18, 2009, the news that "Exodus Opposes Uganda's Proposed Anti-Gay Law."

http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?id=31715

Baptist Press, December 13, 2009, announced that "Mega-Church Pastor Rick Warren Condemns Uganda Anti-Gay Bill.

http://www.opposingviews.com/i/mega-church-pastor-rick-warren-condemns-uganda-anti-gay-bill

The editors of Wikipedia have assembled the best history of this bill and the world's response:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uganda_Anti-Homosexuality_Bill

YouTube carries the complete video of Rick Warren's Open Letter to the Clergy of Uganda*

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jmGu9o4fDE

*We wish to express our thanks to the Rev. Rick Warren for taking this rather courageous step on behalf of the lesbian and gay people of Uganda. Pastor Warren did everything in his power to avoid meeting with our gay and lesbian parents and their families in 2009 during the Soulforce American Family Outing. We have tried on many occasions to help him understand the tragic consequences of his own teachings about homosexuality and homosexuals. And though we continue hoping that he will meet with a Soulforce delegation to hear the scientific, historic, psychological and personal evidence that homosexuality is one of God's gifts, we pause in our pursuit just long enough to give him thanks for reaching out to save the lives of our lesbian sisters and gay brothers in Uganda. Thank you, Pastor Warren. We are grateful!

Adolescent Sex Conference in the Northwest

2010-02-05T19:59:00.000-08:00

Best Practices - New Approaches
April 13th & 14th, 2010
at the Seaside Convention Center in Seaside, OR

Who should attend?

The Adolescent Sexuality Conference is for:

educators * health personnel * administrators * counselors
social and youth service workers * parents * clergy * teens
community members

Conference Sponsors:

ISA/Pride Surveys
Oregon Teen Pregnancy Task Force
VDAC

Conference Steering Committee:

Aylett Wright, Community Volunteer
Brie Akins, Community Volunteer
Cascade AIDS Project
Insights Teen Parent Program
Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board
Open Adoption & Family Services
Oregon Attorney General's Sexual Assault Task Force
Oregon DHS, CAF Self-Sufficiency Programs
Oregon Public Health, Adolescent Health Program
Oregon Public Health, HIV/STD/TB Program
Oregon Teen Pregnancy Task Force
Pathfinder Academy
Planned Parenthood of the Columbia-Willamette
Planned Parenthood of Southwestern Oregon
PSU, Center for the Improvement of Child and Family Services
PSU, Regional Research Institute
VDAC

My new Hero

2010-02-05T19:27:00.000-08:00

By MICHAEL HILL
The Associated Press
Thursday, February 4, 2010; 12:41 PM
MOHAWK, N.Y. -- The bullying by classmates and taunts of "homo" only got worse after Jacob began dyeing his hair and wearing eyeliner in eighth grade. One student scrawled "I hope you die" on his shoe, he said; another drew a pocket knife on him.

Jacob's grades dropped, and he missed school from fear. His father tried repeatedly to get school officials in their working-class village in upstate New York to help protect his son from harassment. The response by the Mohawk Central School District, according to a federal lawsuit, was to do "virtually nothing."

"Everything was bad," Jacob - who is identified as "J.L." in the lawsuit and didn't want to draw attention to his new school by having his last name used in this story - said this week. "I hyperventilated when I left the school ... and I didn't want to come back the next day, or ever."

The 15-year-old might soon get a measure of satisfaction. The lawsuit filed by Jacob and his father against the school district with the New York Civil Liberties Union could be close to settlement, according to both sides.

The negotiations come as the U.S. Department of Justice seeks to intervene in the case, citing the "important issues" it raises in enforcing federal civil rights laws.

"There is a growing recognition across the country that schools need to take harassment based on gender expression and homosexuality seriously," said NYCLU attorney Corey Stoughton. "If there is a settlement in this case, that's an affirmation of that principle."

Justice officials say it's the first time since 2000 that they have argued that Title IX, the antidiscrimination law affecting schools that receive federal funding, covers sex discrimination based on gender stereotypes - such as when a boy does not act or look stereotypically male. Stoughton said that while harassment based on gender nonconformity is widespread, there have been only a handful of legal cases like this nationwide.

Mohawk School Superintendent Joyce Caputo said the district denies allegations in the lawsuit, but she stressed they are working with the NYCLU and the Justice Department to settle the suit in a way that benefits everyone.

"We are committed to doing everything in our power to prevent bullying and to promote tolerance," she said.

Mohawk is a village of modest clapboard homes set near the river of the same name and just east of Utica. Jacob said he did not face serious problems until he went to Gregory B. Jarvis Junior/Senior High School as a seventh-grader in fall 2007.

That was about the time it became clearer that Jacob was different. By eighth grade, he wore eyeliner to school sometimes and would dye his hair bright blue or pink. He was out of the closet that school year.

"People would ask and I'd say, 'Yeah, I'm gay, whatever. Peace out,'" he said.

In an interview this week with his father at their home, Jacob said he was just being himself. That is, a teenager who loves to write songs, short stories and poems and who dreams about a career in the movies, maybe as a director or a writer.

Dressed in a blue fleece and jeans, Jacob talked effusively about pop culture - Pink is his favorite singer, "Orphan" a favorite movie. But his voice got softer when he talked about his experiences at Jarvis.

The lawsuit claims the principal and other district officials did not follow their own anti-harassment policies. Teachers blocked him from going to a "safe room" set up for him. One teacher told him he should be ashamed of himself for being gay, according to court papers.

Jacob's father, Robert Sullivan (he has a different last name), devoted himself to making sure his son was safe in school despite fighting Hodgkin's lymphoma.

"I put the cancer stuff aside," Sullivan said, "because he doesn't have anyone to defend himself beside me."

But Sullivan said he failed to make much progress.

"You listen to your child cry at night and wish he was dead, and wish he wasn't here. It's a hard thing to go through," Sullivan said. "And you know you've got to send him back there the next day."

The idea of a lawsuit came from someone at a support group Jacob attended, and the NYCLU sued in August. The Department of Justice asked to intervene last month, noting the suit's claims that Jacob was denied equal protections guaranteed in the Constitution and under Title IX, the antidiscrimination law affecting schools that receive federal funding.

The department would not comment on the litigation, but gay rights supporters saw its involvement as evidence of a strengthened commitment under the Obama administration to the rights of people who are gay or who do not conform to gender stereotypes.

However, it's now possible that a settlement will be reached before a judge decides whether the federal agency can intervene. The Justice Department would not comment in detail on the lawsuit.

Jacob this week seemed happy just to put the trauma behind him.

The family recently moved to the next town. Jacob started a new school and the experience has been like night and day, he said: "It's amazing. I have a lot of friends there."

Sullivan's cancer is in remission. He said it's nice to see his son smile again, and he has hopes for their future.

"As long as I can get to see him graduate high school," Sullivan said. "I think I can die happy."

Ask, and Tell

2010-02-05T19:18:00.001-08:00

In just a few hours, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen will be meeting with senators about "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

Have military leaders heeded the growing call to end discrimination in the military? Not necessarily. A Pentagon spokesman said, "The Joint Chiefs have been thinking through how they would go about offering their best advice on this issue."

Don't you just love Washington double-speak?

We need Congress to know there's immense public pressure on this issue. As they decide how to respond to today's hearing – whether to push this repeal forward or push it aside – they need to hear from you immediately.

Tell your representative and senators to repeal this discriminatory law NOW.

In case you missed it, I'm forwarding the email I sent after President Obama's State of the Union speech, announcing our $2+ million campaign to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

Please join us in this crucial effort – take the first step by sending your letter today.

New York Times: Trans Name Changes

2010-01-29T09:42:00.000-08:00

For Transgender People, Name Is a Message

By WILLIAM GLABERSON
Published: January 24, 2010

Katherine used to be Miguel. Olin had a girl’s name. And in October, Robert Ira Schnur, 70, became Roberta Iris Schnur, a Manhattan retiree with magenta lipstick and, she noted the other day, chipped silver nail polish.
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Todd Heisler/The New York Times

ROBERTA IRIS SCHNUR Formerly Robert Ira Schnur, she is one of hundreds of transgender people whose legal names were changed in Manhattan.
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Todd Heisler/The New York Times

Ms. Schnur’s former identification photos.

“I wasn’t like other men,” she said.

Theirs are among hundreds of names a Manhattan court has changed over the last few years for transgender New Yorkers. That tally, specialists in the relatively new field of transgender law say, may make the borough’s workaday Civil Court one of the country’s biggest official name swappers — male names for female, vice versa and ambiguous.

Changing a name might seem like a minor matter for those who are changing their gender identities and, for some, facing challenges like finding knowledgeable doctors, trying hormones and experimenting with painful hair-removal procedures. But many who have gone through the switch say a name change sends an important message to the world, a message solidified and made official with a court’s approval.

In many courts around the country, what were once risky or shocking name-change requests are becoming more routine as the sting of gender taboo has lost a little of its edge. But in few places has this shift been more dramatic than in New York, where two recent and little-noticed rulings helped clarify the murky area not only of the law but also of modern gender identification. They have contributed to Manhattan’s becoming a capital of Joe-to-Jane proceedings. A rare network of some 200 lawyers now works on such cases filed in the Centre Street courthouse, and nearly 400 of their transgender clients so far have, more or less, become someone else.

“There is a long emotional, physical process that a lot of us have to go through,” said Katherine Cross, 22, of the Bronx, who got her new name in July. She said her transition included learning how to force her voice into a higher register and the basics of shopping for women’s clothing.

“For me,” she said, “the centerpiece was the name change.”

Efforts to extend legal rights to transgender people have increasingly been in the news, including the December announcement by Gov. David A. Paterson of New York to extend antidiscrimination protections to transgender state employees.

Over the last two years, volunteer lawyers from 19 big corporate law firms in New York City have worked on nearly 400 transgender name change cases, according to the advocacy group that is running the project, the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund. “In a way, it’s a big coming-out process — with a judge,” said the group’s executive director, Michael D. Silverman.

The lawyers have represented clients from every borough in the Manhattan court, with applicants ranging from occasional cross-dressers to people who have completed gender reassignment surgery. No one knows how many others have gone to the court on their own or with other lawyers. Indeed, the very number of transgender people in the country and the state is hard to pin down. One survey suggests there are 300,000 in New York State, but others dispute that.

The process of changing a name can be intimidating, said Kit Yan, a 25-year-old poetry slam artist and performer with a hint of facial hair who was born Laura. He failed twice when he tried on his own to get the law to recognize the name a friend suggested after seeing a cartoon character named Kit that looked like him, a little boy in a suit.

With a lawyer in May, Mr. Yan said, he felt relief when he heard “Laura” to summon him for the last time when his case was called. “It felt like giving away, say, an ugly Christmas sweater your mom made you,” Mr. Yan said.

The two recent rulings in New York courts helped clear the way for more such moments on Centre Street.

In one case, an appeals panel overruled a Manhattan civil court judge who had insisted on doctors’ notes giving reasons for name changes in transgender cases. The panel said there was “no sound basis in law or policy” for the requirement and noted that the law generally permits people to change their names unless there is some fraudulent intent involved.

In the other decision, a Westchester judge made an exception to a general requirement that name changes and home addresses be advertised in newspapers, saying the safety issues for people in gender transition were obvious in a world that can be hostile. The publication requirement insisted upon by some of the Manhattan judges has fed an eerie subculture of readers, many of them prisoners, who follow the newspaper notices. One man forced to advertise that he was becoming a woman received several seductive letters with prison return addresses. “Hello Angel!” said one of the letters. “I am not afraid to take new roads,” said another.
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Todd Heisler/The New York Times

KATHERINE CROSS said that in her case, “the centerpiece was the name change.”
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Todd Heisler/The New York Times

EM WHITNEY said his name change was part of a long gender journey from a girl's name.
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Todd Heisler/The New York Times

KIT YAN Shedding “Laura” “felt like giving away, say, an ugly Christmas sweater.”

At the gray Manhattan courthouse, where matters like debt collection are the bulk of the work, officials said they were aware of numerous transgender name-change cases.

But those petitions are mixed in with more traditional name-change filings, like applications from immigrants Anglicizing their names. Name-change cases over all increased at the court to 3,109 in 2009 from 202 in 1995, but officials said they did not keep count of the reasons for the requests.

Gender switches would not necessarily draw much attention at the courthouse, said the court’s supervising judge, Jeffrey K. Oing. New York being New York, he said, the threshold for surprise can be high. There was a “buzz in the courthouse,” he conceded, after one man renamed himself Jesus Christ.

But the judge said he was not surprised to hear that transgender people had found a receptive audience in many of the 10 Civil Court judges in Manhattan. “I like to think that we live in a very open society here in New York County,” he said.

Still, routine changing of gender identification can be startling to some. The Rev. Jason J. McGuire, executive director of New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms, which helped defeat the gay-marriage proposal in Albany, said the courts might be ahead of the public on gender issues.

“Oftentimes, the courts are used to advance an agenda,” he said, adding that the name changes created loopholes people could use to hide for any number of reasons.

Some of the Centre Street petitioners said they did in fact want to obliterate their old identities. The newly named Em Whitney, a 23-year-old with a toothy smile and a button nose, said the change was part of a long gender journey that began when he was a Texas child with a girl’s name and a fascination with androgynous characters like Peter Pan and Shakespeare’s Puck.

Mr. Whitney, who has written for The New York Observer newspaper and sometimes introduces himself as Emerson, said daily experiences like presenting a driver’s license could be a minefield. “Showing someone a picture and a name of someone who doesn’t exist drove me crazy,” he said.

Ms. Schnur, the retiree who changed her name in October, took out some old identification cards to make a similar point. The pictures of the man with thinning hair never seemed right, she said.

“I always knew that I wasn’t what other people thought I was,” she said.

2010-01-29T09:03:00.000-08:00

In his State of the Union address just moments ago, President Obama pledged to work with the Congress and military this year to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT).

With the President's leadership, now it is up to Congress to act. We're rolling out a new strategic campaign to do exactly that - put an end to the discriminatory law that's forced thousands of lesbian and gay members of the military to lie about who they are or face losing their jobs.

We've spent months designing a plan to pass legislation which repeals DADT. The plan will include organizing veterans across the country, generating media coverage in key markets and building focused campaigns in targeted states that will be critical to securing the final votes in the House and Senate.

First step: pushing legislation through the House by building a well-spring of support from representatives, while laying the groundwork for a critical fight in the Senate.

Help us capitalize on the President's pledge tonight by asking your representative and senators to move quickly to repeal DADT.

Tomorrow morning when Congress returns to work, we want to make sure their inboxes are flooded with emails echoing the President's call to repeal DADT.

It's just the first step in a bold campaign to finally wipe DADT from the books this year.

The "Voices of Honor Campaign" will build on the successes of our 2009 Voices of Honor tour, where veterans toured the country speaking out against the law, garnering attention from Congress and the media, and helping us get to this moment.

Over the coming days, weeks and months, we will:

* Put an on-the-ground campaign manager in key states to build diverse local coalitions, drive earned media and organize voices from within these target communities;
* Organize a broad-based grassroots campaign to support our lobbying efforts;
* Expand on existing efforts to organize veterans in these target states and Congressional districts to generate media attention in the local area and put additional pressure on lawmakers;
* Bring veterans and other key voices to Washington, D.C. for a full day of lobbying on Capitol Hill;
* And more!

It's an ambitious effort – working with our allies, Servicemembers Legal Defense Network and Servicemembers United – and we'll need you to play a key role if we expect to win. Today, I'm counting on you to take the first step and send an email to your representative and senators right away.

Tell Congress to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

News: LGBT homeless youth to get new shelter in Vancouver

2010-01-24T16:43:00.000-08:00

Fundraising underway for new queer shelter in Vancouver BC

Chantell Joseph says she was ostracized for being a lesbian when she stayed at a downtown Vancouver shelter Photo CTV News

A few months ago, Chantell Joseph was evicted from her apartment after she says her roommate skipped out on rent.

She wound up at a downtown Vancouver shelter. But instead of getting help, she says she was ostracized for being a lesbian.

She shared a room with four other women who wouldn’t speak to her. And, she says, some of the staff wouldn’t talk to her either.

”I couldn’t be 100 percent myself,” she said.

Paul Donovan, chair of the board of the Metro Vancouver Dream Centre Society, which provides counseling and other services to homeless people, says Joseph’s story is not unique.

That’s why the society is trying to raise money to build a gay-friendly shelter.

”Homeless people already have a hard time as it is, and then to further have to stay in the closet and keep their sexuality in check makes it awkward for them,” he said.

A 2000 study found that between 25 and 40 percent of homeless youth in Canada identified as being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered. Experts say it’s because their families can’t accept their sexuality, so they run away.

”Sadly with youth they don’t have the financial resources or support so they can’t find a roof over their head, so they end up on the street,” said Richard Kramer, distress services director at the Vancouver Crisis Centre.

So far the Dream Centre has raised $40,000. They are hoping to raise $15 million.

The centre would likely be built in the eastside of Vancouver or near the West End, Donovan said.

VIDEO CLIP http://watch.ctv.ca/news/clip251250#clip251250

With a report from CTV British Columbia’s Norma Reid

2010-01-21T08:53:00.001-08:00

Gaga to Match Donations for Homeless Youths
By Christopher Mangum
LADY GAGA PERFORMANCE BIG HAIR X390 (GETTY) | ADVOCATE.COM

Offering free concert tickets and vowing to match donations, Lady Gaga has partnered with Virgin Mobile USA to aid homeless youths.

In December, Virgin Mobile, the title sponsor of Gaga's Monster Ball tour, announced that the company would be extending its FREE I.P. volunteer program in conjunction with the North American trek.

Created in August, the program provides participants free concert tickets for collecting toiletries to be handed out at homeless-youth shelters.

On top of providing fans with tickets, Gaga also promises to match up to $25,000 for every dollar donated to the cause.

In a video for the partnership (featured below), the extravagant performer and gay rights advocate discusses the particular relevance the issue has to LGBT people.

"One of every five homeless in the community identified themselves as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered youth, making homophobia a top cause of domestic violence," she says. "And you all know that makes me very angry."

The volunteer program began with Lady Gaga's San Francisco concert December 13 and will include all U.S. cities on the tour.

2010-01-12T14:21:00.001-08:00

The U.S. Senate and House of Representatives have passed separate health reform bills and the job of combining these measures into a final version now lies in the hands of a few key lawmakers. Contact Senator Schumer today!

For lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender families, a critical difference between the two bills is the tax treatment of employer-sponsored health benefits. Today, when a worker adopts employer health coverage for his or her partner, that individual pays taxes on the value of those benefits. Those same benefits are tax-free to workers who cover opposite-sex spouses and dependents. This is fundamentally unfair and violates the principle of equal pay for equal work.

HIV Travel Ban Officially Lifted After 22 Years

2010-01-12T11:29:00.001-08:00

January 4, 2010 9:41AM
Michael Cole

Today the Department of Health and Human Services announced the ban has been lifted on HIV positive visitors and immigrants entering the country first established in 1987. A regulation promulgated by the Obama administration last summer and finalized in November goes into effect today, removing HIV from the list of communicable diseases that bar foreign nationals from entering the United States.

Said HRC President Joe Solmonese:

“This sad chapter in our nation’s treatment of people with HIV and AIDS has finally come to a close and we are all better for it. This policy, in place for more than two decades, was unnecessary, ineffective and lacked any public health justification. Today, the United States of America moves one step closer to helping combat the stigma and ignorance that still too often guides public policy debates around HIV/AIDS.”

In July 2008, President Bush signed into law, as part of the reauthorization of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), a provision that removed the ban from statute and returned regulatory authority to the Secretary of Health and Human Services to determine whether HIV should remain on a list of communicable diseases that bar foreign nationals from entering the United States.

HRC has been a lead organization lobbying on Capitol Hill for the statutory repeal and working to ensure that Department of Health and Human Services’ regulations were changed. After the passage of the PEPFAR bill, HRC lobbied both the Bush and Obama administrations to remove the remaining regulatory ban. In July 2009, when the proposed regulation lifting the ban was open for public comment, more than 19,000 HRC members and supporters submitted statements in favor of ending the discriminatory policy.

The travel and immigration ban prohibited HIV-positive foreign nationals from entering the U.S. unless they obtained a special waiver, which was difficult to secure and then only allowed for short-term travel. The policy also prevented the vast majority of foreign nationals with HIV from obtaining legal permanent residency in the United States. The ban originated in 1987, and was explicitly codified by Congress in 1993, despite efforts in the public health community to remove the ban when Congress reformed U.S. immigration law in the early 1990s. While immigration law currently excludes foreigners with any “communicable disease of public health significance” from entering the U.S., only HIV had been explicitly named in the statute.

RI lawmakers back funeral rights for gays

2010-01-07T18:16:00.000-08:00

(Providence, RI) Rhode Island lawmakers voted Tuesday to allow same-sex and unmarried couples the right to plan the funerals of their late partners, overriding a veto by the governor, who warned it eroded traditional marriage.

The bill passed 67-3 in the House and 31-3 in the Senate, and enjoyed support from several Republican lawmakers in the same party as Gov. Don Carcieri, an adamant opponent of same-sex marriage in a state that does not recognize gay unions.

The new funeral planning rights also apply to unmarried heterosexual couples.

Mark Goldberg, 49, pushed for the legislation after struggling for five weeks to claim the body of his partner of 17 years, Ron Hanby, who committed suicide in October 2008. The state medical examiner would not release Hanby’s body to Goldberg because they were not married or relatives, even though the couple had wills and other legal documents attesting to their relationship.

“Not being able to claim his body was certainly something that was beyond belief, was beyond human compassion from anyone,” Goldberg said. “There was just no compassion whatsoever from anyone in the state.”

Rhode Island and Maine are the only New England states that do not recognize gay marriage. The movement has stalled in Rhode Island partly because of opposition from Roman Catholic church leaders in the most heavily Catholic state in the country. Bills legalizing gay unions have died in Rhode Island’s Democratic-dominated Legislature every year since they were first introduced in 1997.

House Speaker William Murphy, D-West Warwick, and Senate President M. Teresa Paiva-Weed, D-Newport, oppose gay marriage, while Carcieri would almost certainly veto it if it passed.

House Majority Leader Gordon Fox, a Democrat who is gay, said the bill was about helping the bereaved, not changing the definition of marriage.

“You’re dealing with tragedy, one of the worst events in human life as we know it,” Fox said, asking his fellow lawmakers to empathize with Goldberg’s ordeal. “You’re dealing with that tragedy – to be turned away, that you don’t count, to be victimized again, who amongst us would want to feel that way?”

To qualify for funeral planning rights, a couple must be at least 18, have lived together for one year and prove they were financially dependent, for example, by owning property together or sharing a bank account.

Carcieri argued that state law already allows residents to designate people to plan their funerals. He said the requirements in the bill meant to prove a relationship were too vague.

“Finally, this bill represents a disturbing trend over the past few years of the incremental erosion of the principles surrounding traditional marriage, which is not the preferred way to approach this issue,” Carcieri wrote in a letter to lawmakers.

If lawmakers want to grant domestic partnership rights, they should put the issue on a ballot and let the voters decide, Carcieri said.

A handful of lawmakers opposed the move, including Rep. Lisa Baldelli-Hunt, D-Woonsocket, who supports civil unions for gay couples but opposes gay marriage. She objected to allowing people as young as 18 to qualify as domestic partners for the purpose of claiming a loved one’s body.

Baldelli-Hunt said she could theoretically be stopped from planning a funeral for one of her children if they died while in a relationship that qualified under the new law.

“Do I have to lose my rights as a parent because my son is in an intimate relationship with an 18-year-old girl for one year?” she said.

Portugal Prepares to Legalize Marriage

2010-01-07T18:12:00.000-08:00

Portugal Prepares to Legalize Marriage
By Advocate.com Editors

Portugal, one of Europe’s most Catholic and socially conservative countries, is expected to approve a marriage equality bill on Friday, Agence France-Presse reports. The proposal, which is benefiting from the fact that the governing Socialists share a strong majority in parliament with other left-wing parties, is expected to sail through the first reading and gain final approval before Pope Benedict XVI visits the country in May. A parliamentary commission must also consider it before it comes back to parliament for a final vote.

“I think the Portuguese people have learned one of the fundamental tenets of democracy: respect for the rights of the individual,” Miguel Vale de Almeida, Portugal’s first openly gay lawmaker, told AFP.

LISBON — Catholic Portugal, traditionally one of Europe's most socially conservative countries, is expected to approve the legalisation of gay marriage on Friday with a minimum of fuss.

With the governing Socialists and other left-wing parties enjoying a strong majority, the new law is likely to sail through the first reading debate and gain final approval before a visit by Pope Benedict XVI, due in Portugal in May.

In contrast to Spain, where the lead-up to the legalisation of gay marriage in 2005 brought hundreds of thousands of demonstrators onto the streets, the bill in Portugal has provoked only muted opposition even from the right.

While normally vocal on the role of marriage and the family in society, the Catholic Church has refused to mobilise on a subject which, according to Lisbon's Cardinal Patriarch Jose Policarpo, is "parliament's responsibility".

"I think the Portuguese people have learnt one of the fundamental tenets of democracy: respect for the rights of the individual," Miguel Vale de Almeida, Portugal's first openly-gay lawmaker who was elected in September, told AFP.

Vale de Almeida, who is the Socialists' pointman on the legislation, said there is now a political majority in favour of gay marriage and that it is "too simplistic to link Catholicism and conservatism."

According to poll conducted late last year by the Eurosondagem institute, while a strong majority (68.4 percent) of Portuguese are opposed to adoptions by same-sex couples, they are more evenly divided when it comes to gay marriage with 49.5 percent against, with 45.5 percent in favour.

On Tuesday, campaigners handed a petition with more than 90,000 signatures to demand a referendum on the subject into parliament.

But having had its fingers burnt by two referendums which preceded the legalisation of abortion in 2007, the government has ruled out consulting with the public as the measure was part of its manifesto in last year's election.

Prime Minister Jose Socrates' Socialists may have lost their majority in the September 27 election, but still command the support of other left-wing parties in parliament who should guarantee that the gay marriage bill is passed.

While opposed to the concept of same-sex "marriages", the centre-right opposition Social Democrat party says it is favour of a civil partnership that would give gays and lesbians the same rights as heterosexual couples minus adoptions.

Deputies are also expected on Friday to vote two other bills submitted by the Green party, the Left Bloc and others which would grant gay and lesbian couples the right to adopt children.

If the gay marriage proposals do pass through parliament, they will the have to go through a parliamentary commission before coming back for the final approval.

According to media reports, both the government and the Catholic Church wants the gay marriage issue to be resolved before the visit of the pope, scheduled for May 11-14.

Salt Lake County Passes Pro-LGBT Ordinances

2010-01-07T18:10:00.001-08:00

January 7, 2010 2:05PM
Tony Wagner
photo via flickr user Ken Lund

photo via flickr user Ken Lund

On Tuesday, the Salt Lake County government passed two non-discrimination ordinances that would cover lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in the workplace and in housing. This achievement comes on the heels of similar non-discrimination ordinances passed by Salt Lake City in late 2009.

Due to the way the county government is structured, these ordinances only apply to the unincorporated portions of the county, including Copperton, Magna, Millcreek, and Emigration Canyon. Our friends at Equality Utah inform us that the fight for equal rights in the county is not over and that they plan on tackling the incorporated portions of the county on a municipal basis.

As you may recall, HRC worked closely with Equality Utah in 2009 on the Common Ground Initiative to pass a series of bills through the Utah legislature following the LDS Church’s statement that they are not opposed to such protections – only same-sex marriage. Each of those bills failed in committee on party-line votes, so equality advocates chose to tackle this issue at the local level – and it’s paying off.

The Human Rights Campaign congratulates Equality Utah for all their hard work and their continued success!

Honduras: Investigate Murders of LGBT People

2010-01-07T18:06:00.000-08:00

Authorities Should Act to Stop the Violence
December 16, 2009

The mounting violence against people who look or love differently in Honduras reflects a crisis of intolerance.
Juliana Cano Nieto, researcher in the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Rights Program at Human Rights Watch

(New York) - The killing of an HIV/AIDS outreach worker on December 14, 2009, is part of a pattern of violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Honduras that seems to have accelerated in the turbulent months since the June 28 coup, Human Rights Watch said today.

The organization called on Honduran judicial authorities to open full investigations of all the reported killings, and to provide human rights training for the police and the judiciary about sexual orientation and gender identity.

"The mounting violence against people who look or love differently in Honduras reflects a crisis of intolerance," said Juliana Cano Nieto, researcher in the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Rights Program at Human Rights Watch.

The latest attack was on Walter Orlando Trochez, 27, who had been active both in the LGBT movement and in political activity opposing the coup. He was shot in the chest by an unidentified person late on the night of December 14 in downtown Tegucigalpa, near the Central Church.

Indyra Mendoza of Cattrachas, a local lesbian organization, told Human Rights Watch that he managed to call his friends on his mobile phone after the shooting. When they arrived at the scene, an ambulance was taking Trochez to Hospital Escuela, where he died. An autopsy revealed that he died from one shot to the chest.

On December 5, Trochez reported to the Attorney General's Office that four armed men in civilian clothes attempted to kidnap him on the previous day. He said there had been a series of threats against his life on the grounds of his participation in the resistance movement.

"Walter used to go with me to recognize the bodies of our transgender friends when they were killed," Mendoza said. "Now I had to go on my own to identify his body."

Since June 28, the National Criminal Investigation Department in Tegucigalpa has documented at least seven killings of transgender and gay people in Honduras, including Trochez. Local LGBT advocates have asked the prosecutor's office for information about approximately nine more reported killings in the second largest city - San Pedro Sula and neighboring cities.

In "Not Worth a Penny: Human Rights Abuses against Transgender People in Honduras", a report released in May, Human Rights Watch documented the killing of 17 transgender women between 2005 and 2008.

In the report, Human Rights Watch called on Honduran authorities to:

* Repeal provisions of the Law on Police and Social Affairs that penalize public conduct on arbitrary and vaguely defined grounds. Authorities should send a clear message to all law enforcement institutions that violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, will not be tolerated, the report said;

* Conduct independent, impartial, and effective investigations into the general phenomenon of homophobic and transphobic violence and into specific allegations of police brutality, extortion, and ill-treatment against LGBT people, leading to the identification and prosecution of the perpetrators;

* Enact legislation that provides specific protections on the grounds of sexual orientation, and gender identity and gender expression.

2010-01-06T12:26:00.001-08:00

Amanda Simpson appointed by Obama to Dept. of Commerce

2010-01-06T12:24:00.000-08:00

The National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) has issued the following press release:

Amanda Simpson, who has served on NCTE's Board of Directors for the past three years, has been appointed by the Obama Administration as a Senior Technical Advisor to the Department of Commerce. She'll be working in the Bureau of Industry and Security.

“I'm truly honored to have received this appointment and am eager and excited about this opportunity that is before me,” said Simpson. “And at the same time, as one of the first transgender presidential appointees to the federal government, I hope that I will soon be one of hundreds, and that this appointment opens future opportunities for many others.”

Simpson brings considerable professional credentials to her new job. For 30 years, she has worked in the aerospace and defense industry, most recently serving as Deputy Director in Advanced Technology Development at Raytheon Missile Systems in Tucson, Ariz. She holds degrees in physics, engineering and business administration, along with an extensive flight background. She is a certified flight instructor and test pilot with 20 years of experience.

She has also been very active in political and community groups. She has served on the Board of Directors of two national organizations: Out & Equal and NCTE. In Arizona, she has been on the board of Wingspan, the Southern Arizona Gender Alliance, the Southern Arizona ACLU and the Arizona Human Rights Fund (now Equality Arizona).

In 2004, the YWCA recognized her as one of their “Women on the Move,” and in the same year, she won the Democratic nomination to the Arizona House of Representatives. In 2005, she was given the Arizona Human Rights Foundation Individual Award.

We are delighted to welcome Amanda to Washington, D.C., and share her hope that she will be joined by many other transgender people and our allies in serving our government.

What's the Big Deal About Gender?

2010-01-06T12:23:00.001-08:00

The changing navigation of female identity.
A U.N. report on counter-terrorism by Martin Scheinin says, “gender is not synonymous with women, and, instead, encompasses the social constructions that underlie how women’s and men’s roles, functions and responsibilities, including in relation to sexual orientation and gender identity, are understood.”
The report stresses “gender is not static; it is changeable over time and across contexts.”

Also See: An excerpt from the documentary "The Gender Puzzle"

Caster Semenya, an 18 year old South African athlete came into prominence last summer when she won a world championship at Berlin. She beat her own personal record and came to the notice of the world track and field federation who requested a biologic sex-verification test August 7. On public allegations that Semenya is a hermaphrodite, what is termed more correctly today as an “intersex person,” she has faced the possibility of losing her medal.
The completed tests, which were not publically released to enable Caster the dignity of privacy, probably prove a much more common than realized outcome. Semenya may indeed be intersex with internal organs that are causing her features to become more masculinised. But this doesn’t mean she is not a woman. It certainly doesn’t matter to her fans back home or to South Africa’s governing African National Congress, which called for an annulment of the results if Semenya’s recognition and medal was placed in danger due to the test.

In November the IAAF – International Association of Athletics Federations decision announced that Caster Semenya would keep her medal and her prize money, but failed to say whether she would be allowed to continue.

“God made me the way I am and I accept myself. I am who I am and I’m proud of myself,” said Caster in an interview with Cape Town’s You Magazine last September.

Sexual identity in society based on gender recognition has caused much suffering for those who are intersex. Discrimination, harassment, and ongoing misunderstanding of the condition is part of the problem. Semenya clearly identifies herself as female as the public outside of South Africa continues to unfairly question her reality.

“Sporting activities can be an important forum for providing information to women and girls on sexuality and health, including reproductive health. Girls’ participation in sport can generate a greater awareness and understanding of their bodies and its functions, as well as a greater sense of self-ownership and respect,” says a December 2007 report by the United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women.

“Self-ownership and respect” are important issues for those who have naturally and innocently been born with an intersex body that might not easily fit the “normal” range of male or female identity. The issues often cause the public to falsely accuse intersex people of “deceiving the public” in order to gain some kind of gender advantage.

Not all intersex women know they are biologically different. Some function without notice in society. Others hide the condition of their human biology in silence feeling something inside them is indeed different.

The attitudes on gender within society, especially for women, is one that places many restrictions on women to conform.

While South Africa rallied behind Semenya, as she received a heroine’s welcome back from Berlin, India athlete Shanthi Soundarajan, who had undergone the same fate, still struggles to cope with her fall from grace in 2006. Semenya’s story has brought the spotlight back on this reclusive India athlete, who was once hailed as a prodigy.

Bursting onto the international athletic scene with a silver medal at the Asian Championships in South Korea in 2005, Soundarajan followed her win with a silver medal in the 800 meter race during the Asian Games in Doha, Qatar in 2006. But shortly after winning the medal in Doha, she was asked to undergo a sex-determination test, which she failed.
Following a failed test, Soundarajan was completely stripped of her medal. Biologically she was considered “a man,” but she was, and is, a woman. Soundarajan was later diagnosed with AIS or Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome. AIS is a genetic condition where XY (male) chromosomes are present in the fetus as it forms in the womb, but masculinising characteristics and organs are often non existent, malformed or replaced with female organs. It is still a mystery how Shanthi had passed the original gender tests for the AFI – The Athletes Federation of India in South Korea. When contacted the AFI declined to comment.

A year following, after the gruelling and humiliating public process that exposed Soundarajan as an intersex person, Shanthi was admitted, in 2007, to the Intensive Care Unit of the Government Hospital in Thanjavur with an alleged suicide attempt.

Shanthi, is tall, lanky and dark. Some of her physical features are considered, in India, not to be feminine, but masculine. She has a high forehead with slightly jutting eye brows and striking high cheekbones. Undergoing a lengthy invasive and “too harsh” critical eye in the public, Shanthi has now come back from her life of public scrutiny. She heads a private sports academy helping children and is a contract coach for the SDAT – Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu.

Despite her comeback and positions, Shanthi’s current life is still a challenge. “I do not earn much from the academy as I do not take money from the children I train,” she said. “I subsist on my salary from the SDAT. I get Rs5000 (only around $100 USD) a month.” Her academy started in 2007 from a Tamil Nadu government grant that enabled her to train talented children in sports who come from homes in the region that are racked with poverty.

Like Caster Semenya, Shanthi Soundarajan grew up extremely poor. As the daughter of Indian brick kiln laborers from the Tamil Nadu village of Kathakurichi, she rose to fame with incredible discipline and talent as a runner. Because her family had little resources, Shanthi grew up in a household suffering from so much poverty that quality food was scarce. It was only as late as 2004 when, according to her coach P. Nagarajan, “Shanthi finally began to get an adequate diet.”

“There was a lot of jealousy against me,” said Soundarajan explaining how she felt targeted because she was such a good runner. “I heard that a teammate of mine had actually complained about my sexuality to the authorities.”

Unfortunately for Shanthi Soundarajan there is very little public awareness about AIS or intersex conditions. The prejudice in India against females who have sex-ambiguity is ongoing and immense.

Soundarajan, who is closely following Semenya’s case said about her own life, “I had no support… but I didn’t give up. I couldn’t live my dream, but I am sprouting dreams in many young hearts now.” Like many other intersex women Shanthi says proudly, “I know I am a woman. I have lived my entire life as a woman. I do not need a gender test to tell me who I am.”

Women competed for the first time in the international olympics in 1900 in Paris at the Games of the II Olympiad. The first competition was in croquet. The first female champion was Charlotte Cooper, of Great Brition, who won for her outstanding performance in tennis.

In 1966, sex-determination tests conducted by IAFF – International Amateur Athletics Association caused some women to undergo numerous humiliating nude examinations. Some exams included requiring women athletes under testing to parade nude before a panel of doctors and to be submitted to numerous humiliating invasive gynaecological exams. At the time, the IOC – International Olympic Committee followed this policy.

In recent days, some opportunities for the IOC to conduct sex-determination tests have been placed on hold. In January 2010, the IOC will hold a conference, “to look at gender issues and advise sports bodies how to respond” to intersex and other sex-determination issues among female and male athletes.

In South Africa, meanwhile after returning home from her ordeal, 18 year old, Caster Semenya was too upset and “mentally tired” to sit for her University examinations. She also failed to show for a scheduled race releasing a statement that she, “wasn’t feeling well.”
“She is mentally tired,” Semenya’s coach, Michael Seme, told AFP news in August.

In contrast to Soundarajan, Semenya was accepted at her village in Masehlong, South Africa. Local crowds thronged to see the athlete, smiling and praising her talent. During the celebration, one of her uncles told the Telegraph, “God knows who she is and how she has been brought up… Whatever people are saying we are not going to listen to it, we will trust in God, we have got Caster and she is a heroine.”

“We are disgusted that these things are being said and everybody has questioned her gender. We don’t know what informed their thinking, but we are not overly concerned because we know her as a girl,” added Marles Photo, a citizen from Masehlong.

“People want to stare at me now. They want to touch me. I’m supposed to be famous but I don’t think I like it so much,” Semenya told The Guardian News after she returned home.

Intersex conditions are now considered a common phenomenon in South Africa. A report in The Star, says that medical specialists who deal with the condition have been attending to patients with symptoms of intersex every 4-6 weeks. Dr. David Segal, a pediatric endocrinologist at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, points out that South Africa has a greater incidence of intersex conditions than anywhere else in the world.

“There are a whole bunch of cases with boys where they are referred to surgeons and neurologists instead of to endocrinologists. This is not the most appropriate decision as the endocrinologist should do the initial diagnosis, planning and counseling,” said Dr. Segal. In the past six years, the doctor has attended more than 100 cases involving intersex conditions.

The term “hermaphrodite” is a misnomer. Full male and female anatomy together in one human body does not exist anywhere today in the human spectrum. Instead, endless variations of anatomy, hormonal and chromosomal signatures along with partial or differently formed organs, that may or may not be external, is the reality. According to the Intersex Society of North America, the percentage of intersex people is approx one out of every 1,000 to 2,000 persons.

Surprisingly, many newborn babies, as high as one in 100, can show some slight intersex body characteristic at birth.

“Given the choice of “male”, “female”, “intersex”, says intersex woman, Mairi McDonald, “I would unhesitatingly select “intersex.”

“But society does not give me that option,” Mairi continues, “so I select “female”… with deep reservations, gritting my teeth at a society which will not accept my right to simply be who I am.”

Letting girls be “who they are” can be a challenge to many modern doctors. Gender “normalizing” surgery for girls, and their counterpart boys, has been offered as a quick answer to a complex condition. The procedure is controversial though and not always successful. It has been known to create more harm than good, resulting in post-op cases that have been known to later produce chronic nerve pain, physical scaring, psychological suffering and/or body dysfunction.

It is clear the answers to sex-identification are not easy.

“To encounter the stories of the individuals who make up the intersex rights movement is a touching and humbling experience,” says Anne Tamar-Mattis, intersex advocate, Founder and Executive director for AIC – Advocates for Informed Choice. “Many intersex people have experienced enormous personal tragedies at the hands of their doctors and with the consent of their parents,” continued Tamar-Mattis.

“Because tests and historical data are not 100 percent accurate in determining one’s gender it is important to note that the intersexed person may choose another gender as she/he ages. This is why it is important to avoid un-necessary, non-consensual, usually un-reversible genital surgery,” advises the Intersex Society of South Africa.

The Intersex Society of North America, who are also fighting for the rights of intersex women and men worldwide, agree. The major problem is not that of male versus female sex-identity, but one of stigma and trauma. The organization’s mission is to change the shame, secrecy and unwanted genital surgeries “for people born with an anatomy that someone decided is not standard for male or female.”

“Intersexed people are a natural variant and an important part of human diversity,” says the Intersex Society of South Africa.

Golden Pen Media Award

2010-01-05T13:51:00.000-08:00

Author Justin Reed Early to Receive
National Network for Youth’s
Golden
Pen Media Award
at their
Annual Awards Dinner in Washington, DC January 26, 2010

Award
Celebrates STREET
CHILD, Early’s Inspiring Memoir
that documents the lives and deaths of many street children

Los Angeles, CA –
Justin Reed Early, will be honored
at the National Network for Youth’s Annual Awards Dinner on January 26, 2010
with the prestigious organization’s annual Golden Pen Award.
Early is a successful
businessman and activist for homeless and disenfranchised youth, whose
childhood was marred by physical abuse, alcoholism, drug use and even child
trafficking when, beginning at age 10, he became homeless in Seattle and lived
on the streets for more than half of his life before moving to San Francisco and
entering his first recovery home at age 21, chronicled in his memoir
“Streetchild: An Unpaved Passage.”

Presented by the NN4Y
for his “tireless work on behalf of homeless youth,” the honor comes as a
response to Early’s literary articulation of a life on the deadly streets of
Seattle and San Francisco – STREETCHILD: AN UNPAVED PASSAGE was released in
2009. Early will appear as part of Symposium 2010 along with keynote speaker
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and HUD Deputy Secretary
Ron Sims. This year the National Network for Youth celebrates 35 years of
championing the needs of runaway, homeless, and other disconnected youth.

“We cannot think of a
better way to celebrate 35 years than by honoring Justin Reed Early and the
incredible contributions he has made to this country and our youngest
citizens,” said Kayla Jackson, Vice President of Programs for NN4Y. “Mr.Early has been where 1.5 million
American children are right now. He offers a message of hope, resurrection and
redemption, which is one of our most powerful tools for advocacy and
change. Anyone who reads his book
will be enlightened and moved by his commitment to pay it forward.” Kayla also
noted that Victoria Wagner, President & CEO of NN4Y, was an outreach worker
in Seattle in 1980 and witnessed much of Justin’s street life and now his
success.

“I am flattered to be
honored by the nation’s most formidable advocacy group for disenfranchised
children,” said Early. “Working
with NN4Y and it’s national youth agencies to help move homeless children from
the streets into success and mainstream society is rewarding on its own; but to
be honored by people who are actually responsible for saving my life is very
emotional. Many of my peers did not live to tell their stories,” concluded
Early.

He continues his
grassroots campaign by sharing his story and providing free books at various
youth programs throughout the United States encouraging others affected by
abuse and homelessness into better lives.

Renowned photographer
Mary Ellen Mark captured Early’s life on the streets in a Lifemagazine photo essay,
and a teenaged Early can also been seen in the Oscar-nominated documentary
STREETWISE (1984). This true-life
journal was directed by Ms. Mark’s husband, Martin Bell, and produced by Lifewriter Cheryl
McCall.

The San Francisco
Bay Guardian boldly states: “Hard luck memoirs have grown extra cheap in
recent years, partly due to the celebration of bogus ones. Justin Reed Early's
StreetChild: An Unpaved Passage is no such thing.”

Now a public speaker
and advocate, Early left his executive position in Beverly Hills to complete
and promote his memoir. He was a founding Board member of the popular youth
agency BAY Positives in San Francisco and served on
several youth committees. He currently resides in Los Angeles.

A portion
of the proceeds from StreetChild will benefit life enhancing non-profit
organizations, including many of those that helped Justin while on the streets. www.streetchildmemoir.com.

2009-12-16T09:16:00.001-08:00

Governor Paterson To Sign Executive Order Prohibiting Discrimination in State Employment on the Basis of Gender Identity
Dear friends:

Well, you just can't keep a good story down. Today, the New York Times broke the story about Governor David Paterson's policy announcement affecting transgender New Yorkers. Tomorrow, Governor Paterson will sign an executive order prohibiting discrimination in state employment on the basis of gender identity. New York will become the seventh state in the nation to offer public employees such protection. We've included more information in our press statement below, which we issued after the Times broke the story.

We're sorry if this message seems less polished than our ordinary communications, but we wanted to get this news out to our friends and supporters as quickly as possible. We'll have more information on our web site later today, and will post a copy of the Governor's Order, as well as pictures and video from the signing ceremony, on our web site tomorrow.

Please come to the Center tomorrow at 10:30 (doors open at 10) to thank the Governor for taking this bold step on behalf of transgender equal rights. You can get more information about tomorrow's event here.

We're grateful to our friends and allies who have helped make this day possible. And we extend our heartfelt thanks to Governor David Paterson, who has proven himself to be a champion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equal rights.

We hope you enjoy this news.

Best wishes,

Michael Silverman
Executive Director
---
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 15, 2009

Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund Hails Governor Paterson's Signing Tomorrow of Executive Order Barring Discrimination Against Transgender State Employees

New York State To Become Seventh State to Offer Job Protections to Transgender Public Employees

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - The Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund (TLDEF) hails New York State Gov. David A. Paterson's planned signing tomorrow of an executive order barring discrimination against transgender state employees. New York will become the seventh state to protect public employees from discrimination based on gender identity or expression, after Delaware, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

"Like everyone else, transgender employees deserve to be judged on their ability to do the job, and not on who they are," TLDEF executive director Michael Silverman said. "This executive order will ensure that hard-working transgender employees of New York State can work without fear of discrimination, and provide for themselves and their families," he added. “We applaud Governor Paterson for taking this important step for transgender equal rights.”

Transgender people face tremendous discrimination in the workplace. Forty-seven percent of transgender people report being fired, or denied a job or promotion just because of who they are. In one recent Florida case, 17-year-old Zikerria Bellamy was denied a job at a McDonald's restaurant because she is transgender. Miss Bellamy applied online for the job, but after managers learned that she is transgender, she received a voicemail message from one of the them telling her, "You will not get hired. We do not hire fa**ots." TLDEF filed a complaint on Miss Bellamy's behalf on Dec. 7.

Few protections exist for transgender people who experience employment discrimination. In 38 states, there is no law protecting people from being fired because they are transgender. In New York, while a number of municipalities protect transgender workers from on-the-job discrimination, there is no statewide law offering such protection. The Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act, which would add gender identity and expression to the state's non-discrimination law, has been repeatedly introduced and passed by the state Assembly, but it has never been passed by the state Senate.

Federal law similarly offers no job protection for transgender people. The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) would address discrimination in the workplace by making it illegal to fire, refuse to hire, or refuse to promote an employee based on the person's gender identity or sexual orientation. ENDA has been stalled in the House of Representatives despite demands by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans that Congress take swift action to pass the legislation.

"We applaud Gov. Paterson for recognizing that transgender New Yorkers should have the chance to earn a living and provide for their families without being refused a job or fired for reasons that have nothing to do with their ability to do the job," Silverman added.
###

2009-12-16T08:59:00.001-08:00

marriage equality has just passed in Washington, D.C.!
It's a huge victory, and you should be proud – your support allowed us to invest tremendous staff time and resources into this fight. We did it, and I can't thank you enough.

2009-12-10T09:14:00.001-08:00

From the Office of the Moderator
Metropolitan Community Churches
For Immediate Release: 10 December 2009
Today, as the world marks International Human Rights Day and the anniversary of the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights, a document laying the foundation for the pursuits of human rights law around the globe, we of the Christian faith also mark the second week of Advent and reflect on the promise of the prophet Baruch that God will give a new name to the people of God, "Peace-through-Justice."

As political leaders and advocates for justice gather to demand an end to discrimination and violence against human beings marginalized because of diversities, Baruch's promise meets the world's cry for "peace on earth, good will among all."

Baruch's promise comes to a world where people from every nation, creed and culture need the kind of peace that passes all understanding and that can end our conflicts internally and externally. It comes to a world and its people in need of the inner peace of the soul --- the peace inside that will and can manifest itself outside, and that holds the possibility of ending the suffering of so many who live under the ravages of war, hatred, greed and violence.

Our challenges, as people of faith, remain many, I know. As we mark this time dedicated to ending discrimination and bringing peace, however, I am particularly mindful of the recent announcement by the President of the United States, Barack Obama, to escalate troop deployments to Afghanistan in the hope of ending eight years of violence and bloodshed in that part of our world.

I am also mindful of the widespread skeptism about this strategy, and believe that the uneasiness many of us share may in fact be a sign of hope that people who long for peace and who believe in the promise of universal good will are coming to doubt the efficacy of war or the promises of violence. I am hoping that the unsettled feeling many of us share, is a sign of our developing belief that violence on all levels --- interpersonal, communal and global --- can and must end. And I am praying that the violence Jesus was born into and that continues to claim so many victims --- poverty --- will become our collective battlefront. I am praying today that, as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has urged, we will join hands around the globe and commit to living together in equity and peace.

I am mindful and grateful for the fact that there are more organizations and individuals engaged in serious peacemaking than ever in the history of the world. More people give more time and money and resources to pursuing peace than ever before.

Many of us no longer believe that war or its resulting devastation and impoverishment are inevitable.

Many of us have hope for a new day, a new world.

We have hope for the promise of Advent --- "peace on earth, good will among all" --- coming to birth in our lifetimes.
It is with that hope in mind, on this day dedicated to the pursuit of universal human rights, that I ask all MCCers and people of faith around the globe to join me in praying for:

+ An end to the wars in Iraq, Afhanistan and Pakistan, and for the safety
of all in harm's way.

+ An increase in justice and the extension of human rights for all people,
especially LGBT people, those living with HIV/AIDS, those living in
poverty, refugees, and all whose lives have been torn apart by wars. May
just and right relationships bring the world to peace.

Join me in praying today that:

+ Every leader around the globe who is charged with making decisions
that promise to impact all of us, will do so with the pursuit of peace as
their ultimate goal.

+ Every person and nation trapped in the cycles of violence and counter-
violence, from Israel to Palestine to the Congo and Uganda, will find a
new way, a more promising path for sharing life together.

+ Every human being will use each moment as the moment to speak up
for and take risks for, and live and act for peace.

I call on MCCers around the globe and people of faith everywhere to pray with me today and every day of this Advent Season, as we honor the one crowned "Prince of Peace," for an end to the violence, terrorism and suffering so many know as their daily reality. Pray with me for that a new day of hope and promise will dawn on this earth and all its peoples.

+ The Rev. Elder Nancy Wilson, Moderator
Metropolitan Community Churches

2009-12-07T12:18:00.000-08:00

TLDEF Files Employment Discrimination Complaint with Florida Commission on Human Relations Against McDonald's for Refusing to Hire Transgender Woman

TLDEF today filed a Complaint with the Florida Commission on Human Relations against an Orlando McDonald's restaurant for refusing to hire 17-year-old Zikerria Bellamy because she is transgender. We want you to be the first to know.

On July 10, 2009, Zikerria applied online for a position as a Shift Manager or Crew Leader at McDonald's. On July 28, after managers at McDonald's learned that Zikerria is transgender, she received the following voicemail message from one of the managers:

Zikerria never received the job interview she sought. McDonald's refused to hire her.

Zikerria's story is all too common. Transgender people face tremendous discrimination in the workplace. According to a recent survey by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the National Center for Transgender Equality, 47% of transgender people report being fired, or denied a job or promotion, just because of who they are.

Few protections exist for transgender people who experience employment discrimination. In 38 states, there is no law protecting transgender people from being fired because of who they are. Federal law similarly offers no job protection for transgender people.

In Florida, while no law explicitly addresses discrimination based on gender identity, administrative agencies in Florida have ruled that transgender people are protected by the Florida Human Rights Act's prohibitions on sex and disability discrimination. The Competitive Workforce Bill, which would add gender identity and sexual orientation to the Florida Civil Rights Act, was introduced in the Florida legislature on November 20.

At the federal level, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) (S.1584) would address discrimination in the workplace by making it illegal to fire, refuse to hire, or refuse to promote an employee based on the person's gender identity or sexual orientation at companies with fifteen or more employees. The legislation was introduced in the United States Senate on August 5, 2009. On November 5, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee held the Senate's first hearing on the latest version of ENDA. A version of ENDA was also introduced in the United States House of Representatives on June 24, 2009. The House Education and Labor Committee held a hearing on the measure on September 23. Little has happened since.

According to a 2007 survey, 72 percent of Americans agree that "fairness is a basic American value and employment decisions should be based solely on qualifications and job performance, including for transgender people." In a 2002 poll, 61 percent of those polled said that we need laws to protect transgender people from discrimination. President Obama supports the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and has stated his belief that anti-discrimination employment laws should be expanded to include sexual orientation and gender identity.
What You Can Do

SPREAD THE WORD

As you've done in the past, please help us spread the word about what happened to Zikerria. Let's do our best to make sure it never happens again. Post the voicemail on Facebook, tweet about it, write about it in your blogs and embed the voicemail there, too. The louder we raise our voices, the more people will listen!

CONTACT CONGRESS AND DEMAND THAT IT TAKE ACTION ON ENDA

We've joined with our friends and partners at organizations around the nation to demand that Congress take swift action to pass the Employment Non Discrimination Act (ENDA). 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.

Call the Capitol Switchboard at 202.224.3121 and ask to speak to your Representative (have your zip code handy and they'll help identify your member of Congress).

When you are connected with your Representative's office, give your name and your city and then let them know:

I am calling in support of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (H. R. 3017/S. 1584), which will protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people from job discrimination. No one deserves to be fired from their job because of who they are. No more delays--it is time to pass ENDA.

You can also tell them that you've heard about Zikerria Bellamy's case. If you get voicemail instead of a person, leave a message - they count just as much as if you reach a staff member. You can call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you've called in the past, no problem. Call again.

SUPPORT EQUAL RIGHTS

ENDA... (Yes Sylvia... we are still working on it!)

2009-12-05T19:14:00.000-08:00

Pass ENDA Now - No More Delays!

Right now in this country, there is no federal legislation that protects lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender workers from job discrimination - and that puts people at higher risk of poverty, lack of health care, homelessness and other factors that can increase vulnerability to HIV or progession to AIDS.

But the bill that would end this discrimination - the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (H.R. 3017/S. 1584) - is being delayed in the House of Representatives!

22 national organizations just issued a joint release saying that this delay is unacceptable.

Tell Congress to end the delay! Tell Congress to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, now! Flood congressional offices with calls and emails!

Call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at: (202) 224-3121. Give the operator your zip code and ask to be connected to your Representative. Then, after leaving your message, hang up and call again to be connected to your two Senators.

Suggested voicemail message:

My name is _____ and I live in (your city, state).

As a person in the fight against HIV/AIDS, I am calling in support of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (H.R. 3017/S. 1584), to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people from job discrimination.

Job protections helps us fight HIV/AIDS so people have steady incomes and health care. Please pass ENDA immediately, without delay.

I can be reached at _______ (provide your phone number and your street address). Thank you.

Or send an email to your Representative and Senators by clicking here.

It only takes a moment and your action can help shape the future!

Thanks from all of us at CHAMP and our allies in United ENDA.

Call for Continued Dedication to the Fight for Human Equality

2009-12-04T09:37:00.000-08:00

JOINT PUBLIC STATEMENT

from Metropolitan Community Churches and The Fellowship
For Immediate Release: 4 December 2009

Leaders of Two Communions

Celebrating Washington, D.C. Marriage Equality Victory

Expressing outrage about the December 2nd NO vote on Marriage Equality by the New York State Legislature, The Rev. Elder Nancy Wilson, Moderator of Metropolitan Community Churches, noted "Both Democrats and Republican are bowing to pressure from those opposed to human equality. As people of faith we believe Marriage Equality is a human rights issue, and one that dedication to the will of God demands we support."

"We are renewing our call to action," added Global Justice Team Chair, The Rev. Pat Bumgardner. "Today we are joining our voice to those of other human rights activists in calling all MCCers and our allies, as people of faith and conviction, to stand firm and not throw in the towel. We know that justice will prevail if we remain faithful to this good fight. Now is not the time to back away. Now is the time to let our legislators know that we are not giving up and that we will continue to press them to do the good and just thing."

While New York State's legislature moved to set back the march toward equality, the Council of the District of Columbia voted on Tuesday to affirm gay marriage in the District. Bishop Yvette Flunder of the Fellowship offered thanks to God for the courageous leaders in the District, and said, "This vote confirms what we knew to be true --- that the radically inclusive love of Jesus Christ knows no boundaries!"

The DC decision is subject to a second round of votes, and the possiblity of intervention by the Congress of the United States. Bishop Flunder and Elder Wilson together urged that people of faith recommit themselves to prayer and action in this interim period. "Perhaps establishing Marriage Equality in our nation's capital will be encouragement enough for states and communities around our nation to embrace this movement for justice universally," commented The Rev. Jim Merritt, Marriage Equality Coordinator for The Global Justice Team of MCC.

Elder Wilson concluded, "Although sobered by the setback, we know that in the end God's will for justice and equality will prevail and we will win."

For those interested in more information on how people of faith can help win the battle for Marriage Equality, contact: The Rev. Jim Merritt, Marriage Equality Coordinator for Metropolitan Community Churches at RevJim@thecommunityactivist.com.

This statement prepared in conjuction with The Global Justice Team of Metropolitan Community Churches,

The Rev. Pat Bumgardner, Chair.

2009-12-02T15:28:00.001-08:00

Scroll Down: The vote of each state senator is below. Please call your state senator to express your appreciation or disappointment for their vote on the marriage equality bill.

* Eric Adams (D) — YES
* Joseph Addabbo (D) — NO
* James Alesi (R) — NO
* Darrel Aubertine (D) — NO
* John Bonacic (R) — NO
* Neil Breslin (D) — YES
* John DeFrancisco (R) — NO
* Ruben Diaz (D) — NO
* Martin Malave Dilan (D) — YES
* Tom Duane (D) — YES
* Pedro Espada (D) — YES
* Hugh Farley (R) — NO
* John Flanagan (R) — NO
* Brian Foley (D) — YES
* Charles Fuschillo, Jr. (R) — NO
* Martin Golden (R) — NO
* Joseph Griffo (R) — NO
* Kemp Hannon (R) — NO
* Ruth Hassell-Thompson (D) — YES
* Shirley Huntley (D) — NO
* Craig Johnson (D) — YES
* Owen Johnson (R) — NO
* Jeffrey Klein (D) — YES
* Liz Krueger (D) — YES
* Carl Kruger (D) — NO
* Andrew Lanza (R) — NO
* Bill Larkin (R) — NO
* Kenneth LaValle (R) — NO
* Vincent Leibell (R) — NO
* Tom Libous (R) — NO
* Elizabeth Little (R) — NO
* Carl Marcellino (R) — NO
* George Maziarz (R) — NO
* Roy McDonald (R) — NO
* Hiram Monserrate (D) — NO
* Velmanette Montgomery (D) — YES
* Thomas Morahan (R) — NO
* Michael Nozzolio (R) — NO
* George Onorato (D) — NO
* Suzi Oppenheimer (D) — YES
* Frank Padavan (R) — NO
* Kevin Parker (D) — YES
* Bill Perkins (D) — YES
* Michael Ranzenhofer (R) — NO
* Joseph Robach (R) — NO
* Stephen Saland (R) — NO
* John Sampson (D) — YES
* Diane Savino (D) — YES
* Eric Schneiderman (D) — YES
* Jose Serrano (D) — YES
* James Seward (R) — NO
* Dean Skelos (R) — NO
* Malcolm Smith (D) — YES
* Daniel Squadron (D) — YES
* William Stachowski (D) — NO
* Toby Ann Stavisky (D) — YES
* Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D) — YES
* Antoine Thompson (D) — YES
* David Valesky (D) — YES
* Dale Volker (R) — NO
* George Winner (R) — NO
* Catherine Young (R) — NO

Report of Injustice: LGBT youth in Detention

2009-11-24T09:38:00.000-08:00

Hidden Injustice: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Youth in Juvenile Courts

Hidden Injustice is the first comprehensive report to examine the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth in juvenile courts nationwide. LGBT youth comprise a significant portion (up to 13%) of youth in detention, according to a recent study by Ceres Policy Research. Despite this compelling statistic, LGBT youth remain invisible to many juvenile justice professionals and are often treated unfairly and harshly in the justice system.

Drawing from first-hand accounts of more than 50 LGBT youth and in-depth interviews of more than 60 juvenile court judges, defense attorneys, prosecutors, probation officers, and detention staff from across the country, this groundbreaking report sheds light on the numerous barriers to fair and effective treatment of court-involved LGBT youth. The report also provides juvenile justice professionals, policymakers, and advocates with detailed practice and policy recommendations to help them address these problems head on.

MPowerment motivates activism in queer youth

2009-11-16T10:38:00.000-08:00

By Frances Dinger

Share this article Published: Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Updated: Thursday, November 12, 2009

Via MPowerment

MPowerment volunteers assemble hundreds of safe-sex kits annually.
Capitol Hill has a lot to offer the adult LGBTQ community, be it through clubs, bars or bathhouses, but this leaves some members of the community asking what there is for queer youth.

MPowerment is part of the answer to the question.

The group has been with Lifelong Aids Alliance since 2001 as a program specifically for 18-22 year olds in Seattle’s LGBTQ community. The organization is modeled after prevention programs adopted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and offers fun youth activities as well as outreach to help educate the community and prevent the spread of HIV and STDs.

“Outreach is a big part of what we do,” says Ken Myers, Mpowerment outreach coordinator. “It’s really about going out into the community and sharing information.”

Mpowerment has a three-part approach to its outreach, focusing on venue specific events, community education in street outreach and the distribution of educational materials. Venue specific outreach sends members of its Core Team—the youth team responsible for planning MPowerment events— to 18-and-older nights at local businesses like Neighbors, where volunteers answer questions and hand out free safe-sex packets that include condoms, lubricant and information on disease prevention.

“I know what we do is helpful,” says Mehron Abdollmohammadi, junior English major and Core Team member since January 2009. “Sometimes we’ll go to an outreach venue we’ve been to before and someone will recognize one of us and say, ‘You’re that guy who gave me a condom. Because of that, I used one.’”

Street outreach tries to reach homeless queer youth, offering safe-sex packets and hygiene products, but the group is looking to offer more resources to street youth.

Since September, Myers and Donny Gerke, MPowerment supervisor and Seattle University alumnus, have been aiding the Core Team in putting together a resource guide for queer homeless youth. They are currently editing and reviewing the information before it is sent to print. Once the review process is complete, MPowerment plans to distribute the new pamphlet at the same time as a pamphlet on STDs other than HIV.

“[The pamphlet] could have been very doom and gloom if we let it,” Myers says. “We wanted to make this material empowering.”

The pamphlet for queer homeless youth was designed by three Core members and was funded by the Jeffirs Wood Foundation, a private foundation that is committed to providing opportunities for street youth and impoverished individuals. The pamphlet will include information on shelters, safe sex education and opportunities open to homeless youth.

“There is always a need for more resources,” Abdollmohammadi says. He feels there is a general deficiency in resources for queer youth in Seattle, but what the community needs most is access to comprehensive information. The group distributes safe-sex information to local coffee shops and has also found more creative ways to educate the community on HIV prevention.

One of MPowerment’s educational tools is “Censor This,” a quarterly zine. The publication features visual art as well as prose and poetry relating to LGBTQ issues and, like the rest of the groups outreach, focuses strongly on HIV prevention.

MPowerment is still negotiating its contract for the next two years. Gerke says the organization wants to extend its outreach into South Seattle. The organization recently received funds from King County because of its drug and alcohol education program, which addresses the increased sexual risk when sexual encounters are combined with substance abuse.

call your senator

2009-11-09T08:27:00.000-08:00

We are one step away from making marriage equality a reality in New York State. The New York Assembly passed marriage equality legislation earlier this year and Governor Paterson has pledged to sign it, so the only step left is the New York Senate.

The Senate is scheduled to reconvene tomorrow, Tuesday, November 10, and marriage equality is on the agenda.

Take action today and call your state senator, Sen. Thomas Duane (518) 455-2451 . Politely tell Sen. Duane to vote for marriage equality.

Give the person who answers the phone your name and address, and then tell them that you want the senator to vote for marriage equality. These calls should only take a minute, but they are extremely important.

Even if you've already written or called your senator, make a final call today and ask your friends, family members and colleagues to do the same.

2009-11-05T12:18:00.001-08:00

I'm sure you're feeling as disheartened as I am about the election in Maine. But if we crawl into a corner and lick our wounds, we're playing right into our opposition's hands. And today of all days, we can't afford to do that.

As we speak, the Senate is holding a hearing on the fully inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), and the House could hold its first important vote on ENDA in the coming weeks.

This bill would end a bitter injustice in our country: In 29 states, it's legal to fire someone because they're lesbian, gay, or bisexual; in 38 states, it's legal to fire someone for being transgender.
We need to make sure your representative's support stays strong – it's critical to passing this bill!

Gay Activist Rev. Steve Parelli Speaks Out

2009-10-26T10:10:00.000-07:00

Source: OutTake, Monday, October 26, 2009

In this exclusive audio interview Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson chats with Steve Parelli, Executive Director of Other Sheep, a multicultural ecumenical Christian ministry working worldwide for the full inclusion of LGBT people of faith within their respective faith traditions. Parelli's current priority is to stop the Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2009 which will impose the death penalty and prison on the Ugandan LGBT community. He is urging the evangelical community to email their evangelical leaders. "Tell evangelical leaders like Rick Warren to tell the-largely-evangelical Ugandan people to STOP the bill. Why tell Rick Warren? Because of his endorsement of the widely acclaimed 2006 Zondervan Africa Bible Commentary in which a featured article entitled "Homosexuality" by a Nigerian evangelical leader supports no toleration for homosexuals in Africa and says homosexuals are no better than beasts. This is the evangelical talk in Africa and Rick Warren of the USA and John Stott of England and Douglas Carew of Kenya have endorsed it." Email Rick Warren...

On a personal note, Steve, a graduate of Grand Rapids Baptist Seminary, Grand Rapids, Michigan, had served the Faith Baptist Church of Sparta, New Jersey, as senior pastor for ten years when in 1997 he chose to leave the ministry to make a new life with his partner, Jose. Prior to leaving the ministry, Steve was in reparative therapy with Joseph Nicolosi, "ex-gay" support groups, an international male mentoring group and spiritual counseling, all with the purpose of "overcoming" his homosexual attractions. After leaving his now ex-wife and four children and establishing himself in a gay relationship, Steve was accordingly defrocked by the First Baptist Church of Sinclairville, New York. On May 31, 2009, Steve was ordained by Rev. Nancy Wilson, Moderator of the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC). Steve and his spouse Jose were legally married in Sacramento, California, August 25, 2008. They make their home in the Bronx, New York.

2009-10-21T12:14:00.000-07:00

Victory! Appellate Court Strikes Down “Doctor's Note” Requirement for Transgender Name Changes

A New York State appeals court today struck down a lower court's requirement that transgender people seeking to change their names provide medical evidence of their need for the name change. The ruling was handed down in an appeal we filed on behalf of Olin Winn-Ritzenberg, a transgender man whose petition to change his name to Olin was denied by the lower court because he had failed to provide a letter from a doctor, therapist or social worker establishing his need to change his name.

But the appellate court wrote, "[t]here is no sound basis in law or policy to engraft upon the statutory provisions an additional requirement that a transgendered-petitioner present medical substantiation for the desired name change." The court's decision sends a powerful message that transgender people must be treated equally and that they cannot be subjected to different legal requirements than everyone else. People's names are fundamental to their identities. This decision confirms that each one of us has the right to be known by a name we choose. That decision can't be second-guessed by doctors, therapists or anyone else simply because someone is transgender.

Upon learning of the ruling, Olin said, "This means that I can finally change my name and move forward with my life. My gender transition has been a very personal journey, and no one is in a better position to decide that I need to change my name than I am."

We were lucky to have the assistance of some incredibly talented lawyers, including Brenna DeVaney, Benjamin Edwards, Daniel Gonen, and Janson Mao, who served with us as Olin's co-counsel. Daniel admirably argued the appeal. And our friends at Debevoise & Plimpton and Lambda Legal submitted a stellar brief in support of Olin's appeal. You can read the appeal brief we submitted on Olin's behalf here.

We'd be remiss if we failed to acknowledge Olin's perseverance throughout the long appeal process. Instead of complying with a lower court requirement that we all knew was unjust (and that had been imposed upon many other people), he chose to fight it, delaying his own name change for many months to finally put an end to the practice of subjecting transgender name change applicants to this burdensome and demeaning doctor's note requirement. Thank you, Olin!

Olin changed his name through TLDEF's Name Change Project, which provides free and low-cost name changes by matching transgender community members in New York City with lawyers in private practice who provide their services free of charge. If you or someone you know needs help with a name change, please contact us.

Many months ago, when we first filed this appeal, we asked the question, "Who Decides?" Who decides what your gender identity is? Doctors, government officials, and agency administrators? Or each one of us as autonomous individuals? After many months, we're very happy to have closed the circle with a victory for freedom and self-determination.

National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS).

2009-10-21T09:23:00.001-07:00

As you know, CHAMP has been active in fight for a measurable and effective National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS).
We wanted to give you this important update:

The White House Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP) has launched a website where you can submit testimony and/or supporting documents for consideration by the panel developing the NHAS.

The deadline for online submission is November 12, 2009

Urgent Alert - Organizations and Individuals: Sign-On Letter

2009-10-21T08:08:00.000-07:00

Demand Withdrawal of Proposed Legislation in Uganda
Expanding LGBT Sanctions, Including DEATH PENALTY!

CHAMP urges you to support International HIV Prevention Justice
TAKE ACTION BY THIS THURSDAY!

ENDORSE LETTER TO OPPOSE LEGISLATION!

Send an e-mail to klauer@msmgf.org with the Subject: Here is my Name, City, State and Country for endorsement of the Uganda Letter

Thank you to the Global Forum on MSM and HIV for distributing a version of this alert:

As you may know, legislation in Uganda was introduced late last week that will greatly expand criminal penalties against the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community.

2009-10-15T13:25:00.000-07:00

Please join CANDLE in supporting LGBTQ people around the world this National Coming Out Day, and LGBTQ History Month.

We are proud to announce the launch of our new video "Straight Privilege" on our website.

Click Here to View the video:
http://www.candlerockland.org/program.cfm?page=65

Transgender Hate Crimes Provision

2009-10-15T11:05:00.000-07:00

October 14, 2009

TLDEF's Efforts to Ensure Hate Crime Protections Featured in the New York Times
On Monday, the New York Times featured a story on TLDEF's efforts to ensure that bias-motivated attacks directed at the transgender community are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. The article focused on a forum that we organized last week with the Anti-Violence Project, Brooklyn Law School, the Empire State Pride Agenda, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, Make the Road New York, the New York Association for Gender Rights Advocacy and Queens Pride House.
The panel featured TLDEF clients Roxanne Green, mother of slain transgender woman Lateisha Green, and Carmella Etienne, who was the victim of a bias-motivated attack this past summer in New York City. Both spoke powerfully about the impact that bias-motivated violence had on them, their families and their communities.
Hate-motivated crimes target more than just an individual. They target a community, and they're meant to frighten and intimidate members of that community - to make them fear for their safety on the streets where they live, work and socialize. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people continue to face tremendous amounts of bias-motivated violence. In 2008, more than 2,400 people reported being victims of hate violence motivated by anti-LGBT bias. Just this past weekend, 49-year-old Jack Price was beaten by two men in Queens who yelled anti-gay slurs. Only a few weeks ago, transgender woman NaNa Boo Mack was brutally stabbed and killed while walking with a friend on the streets of Washington, D.C. Her case remains unsolved.
In New York State, hate crime laws explicitly protect New Yorkers from attacks based on sexual orientation, but not gender identity or expression. At the federal level, LGBT people are excluded from hate crime laws. These exclusions send a dangerous message that members of the LGBT community are not entitled to the same level of protection as everyone else. Legislation that would remedy this lack of protection is pending in New York and at the federal level. We'll continue to do all we can to educate the public about the importance of comprehensive protection for all members of the LGBT community, and to ensure that state and federal laws fully protect all members of the LGBT community.

Over the course of the coming months, with legislation pending in Albany and in Washington, there will be many opportunities for each of us to make an impact. Please join with us in our efforts to ensure that all members of the LGBT community are equally protected in our state and federal hate crime laws. Together, we can make a difference.

Include LGBT Families in Immigration Reform

2009-08-26T10:57:00.000-07:00

No one should have to choose between the person they love and their country. But discriminatory immigration policies do just that by denying LGBT couples the right to sponsor their same-sex partners for immigration.
The Uniting American Families Act (UAFA) would remedy this injustice and allow U.S. citizens and permanent residents to sponsor their same-sex partners for family-based immigration.
New York Senator Chuck Schumer has been a strong supporter of this freestanding legislation to help these couples and their families. Right now, he and his staff are drafting comprehensive immigration reform legislation to be introduced this fall.

Click here to become involved in HRC's push or just call or write Chuck Schumer.

Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund Statement on Sentencing in Lateisha Green Trial

2009-08-18T09:25:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK, NY - The Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund (TLDEF) today welcomed Judge William Walsh's sentencing of convicted killer Dwight R. DeLee to the maximum term of 25 years in prison in connection with the shooting death of Lateisha Green. Green, a 22-year-old African American transgender woman was shot and killed by DeLee on Nov. 14, 2008 in Syracuse, NY. On July 17, a 12-member jury found 20-year-old DeLee guilty of manslaughter in the first degree as a hate crime and criminal possession of a weapon. DeLee's conviction for committing a hate crime is the first involving the death of a transgender person in New York State. It is only the second such conviction in United States history. In addition to the sentence for manslaughter, DeLee was sentenced to a concurrent term of 3 1/2 to 7 years in prison on the weapon possession conviction.

"Today, a measure of justice has been delivered for Lateisha Green and her family with the imposition of the maximum sentence for this crime," said TLDEF Executive Director and attorney Michael Silverman. "While nothing can make up for the loss Lateisha's family has suffered, this sentence helps to bring some closure to Lateisha's family. The sentence sends a clear message that violence targeted at transgender people will be heavily penalized."

Silverman has been working with the family since Lateisha's death in November. He was on the ground in Syracuse throughout the trial working closely with Lateisha's family. TLDEF collaborated with its sister organizations, including the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), the Empire State Pride Agenda and the Rainbow Alliance of Central New York.

"Transgender Americans continue to face a serious risk of violence and discrimination. African American transgender women are at particularly high risk," added Silverman. "Neither New York State law nor federal law includes gender identity or expression as hate crime categories and that sends a dangerous message that it is acceptable to leave part of our community vulnerable to hateful acts of violence simply because of who they are. We call upon our state and federal lawmakers to ensure adoption of transgender-inclusive legislation that will protect everyone regardless of their gender identity and gender expression."

Following the sentencing, Lateisha Green's family released this statement:

Today’s sentencing sends a clear message that violence motivated by anti-transgender bias is unacceptable and wrong. It affects everyone in a community and it has left many hurt and distraught. We can only hope that Teish’s story will prevent any more loss of life simply because someone is different.

It has been a little over nine months since Teish was taken away from us. On November 14, 2008, Dwight DeLee aimed a rifle and shot Teish. All it took was one bullet to pierce her heart. That one bullet ended Teish’s life and all of the possibilities that could have been a part of her future.

That one bullet took away our brave and beloved family member and friend. But it also pierced our hearts and left us all feeling fearful, sad and angry. All of our hopes and dreams that we had for Teish were taken away from us simply because Teish was transgender. One bullet shattered all of our lives.

Every possibility for Teish slipped away when Dwight DeLee shot and killed her. But today’s sentencing by the judge has left us to believe that new possibilities have replaced old ones. A possibility to begin a conversation for reconciliation and understanding in Syracuse. A possibility to pass state and federal laws that would protect everyone from this kind of violence. A possibility to share Teish’s story so that nobody will ever have to know the feeling of losing a child because of that child's gender identity.

We want to thank everyone who supported our family during this difficult process and helped us to share Teish’s story. No legal proceeding can provide full closure for us. But we know that closure will come into our hearts as we continue to share this story with the world. We can only hope that more conversations about Teish and her life will prevent another bullet from taking another life. Though Teish left us 9 months ago, she has given us all the possibility to work towards a better tomorrow.

Thank you.

AIDS Issues Update

2009-08-18T07:50:00.000-07:00

Action Alert: Tell Senators Healthcare Reform Must Include
Medicaid Parity for U.S. Territories!
Call Senate finance committee members today, and tell them to
support Puerto Rico and U.S. territories

While the U.S. government covers at least 50 percent of the bill for states’
Medicaid funding, it caps the amount of Medicaid dollars it will give to U.S.
territories. This discrepancy severely limits territories’ funding streams, and
Sens. Baucus and Grassley (seen above chatting),
are two of the folks to contact
Housing Works: News: Action Alert: Tell Senators Healthcare Reform Must Include Med... means that in Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana
Islands, and American Samoa, only the poorest citizens qualify for Medicaid
and people, including those living with HIV/AIDS and other diseases are
the ones who suffer.

This situation is a particular blow to Puerto Rico, which is dealing with an
HIV/AIDS crisis. Increasing Medicaid for Puerto Rico would be a major
step forward in fighting the AIDS epidemic there. Insufficient Medicaid
funds force many Puerto Ricans living with AIDS to rely on programs
funded by the Ryan White Care Act. Ryan White has been notoriously
mismanaged on the island, a situation that has resulted in a lack of access to
AIDS medications through the Ryan White-funded AIDS Drugs Assistance
Program (ADAP).

In 2008, the U.S. spent approximately $20 per Medicaid participant per
month in Puerto Rico, compared to $330 per participant per month in the
U.S. This alarming disparity is widely acknowledged: As a candidate,
Obama stated his desire to “to continually raise the cap on federal
contributions to Medicaid in Puerto Rico until it disappears.”

What to do
Call Senate finance members (who are largely the ones crafting healthcare
reform legislation) and tell them the U.S. territories must have full Medicaid
parity!

In the House of Representatives H.R. 2680 calls “to amend the Social
Security Act to provide for payment parity for Puerto Rico, the Virgin
Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa under
the Medicaid Program, and for other purposes.”

But in the Senate, where the territories don’t have even non-voting
representation, there is no companion bill. Urge Senate finance committee
members to include full healthcare parity for the U.S. territories in
healthcare reform legislation, and improve the health of people in the
territories.
Housing Works: News: Action Alert: Tell Senators Healthcare Reform Must Include

Who to call
Max Baucus (D-MT) 202-224-2651
Chuck Grassley(R-IA) (202) 224-3744
Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) (202) 224-5521
Olympia Snowe (R-ME) (202) 224-5344
Kent Conrad (D-ND) (202) 224-2043
Mike Enzi (R-WY) (202) 224-3424
What to say
“My name is _____ and I’m calling to urge Sen. ______ to make sure
health care reform legislation includes amending the Social Security Act to
provide for payment parity for U.S. territories under the Medicaid Program,
and for other purposes.”

NYC LGBT Advisory Committe NYPD

2009-08-14T09:47:00.000-07:00

Dear New Yorker,

This week I spoke with Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly about re-constituting an LGBT advisory committee to the New York City Police Department (NYPD). Commissioner Kelly agreed that this committee is of vital importance to the NYPD, the City and the continued safety of LGBT New Yorkers across the five boroughs. Commissioner Kelly directed the police officer assigned to his office as LGBT liaison to reactivate the committee.

This important step taken by the Commissioner will allow for the public safety concerns of LGBT New Yorkers to be registered fairly and thoroughly at the highest levels of the Department. The NYPD LGBT advisory committee will discuss public safety issues that affect our community throughout the city. Working with the NYPD's LGBT Community Liaison, I believe that this committee will help strengthen the working relationship between the NYPD and the LGBT community and help ensure the safety of all New Yorkers.

I encourage you to raise any concerns you may have about the safety of a particular individual or members of the LGBT community with the LGBT advisory committee or the LGBT Community Liaison.

Gay and Lesbian Episcopal Priests Nominated

2009-08-13T11:39:00.000-07:00

The Episcopal Church Diocese in Los Angeles and Minnesota are making history by nominating openly gay and lesbian priests as bishops within their Diocese. The Diocese of Los Angeles, which represents 70,000 Episcopalians in six counties, nominated six priests for the position of assistant bishop. Of these six two candidates, the Rev. John L. Kirkley of San Francisco and the Rev. Canon Mary Douglas Glasspool of Baltimore are openly gay and lesbian respectively. The election will occurs in December when the diocese meets for its annual convention in Riverside, Calif.

Also this past weekend, Episcopal leaders in Minnesota nominated the Rev. Bonnie Perry, currently the rector of All Saints Episcopal Church in Chicago and an adjunct professor at Seabury-Western Theological Seminary in Evanston, Ill., for the position of bishop. Perry has been in a committed relationship with Rev. Susan Harlow for 22 years. Perry is one of three candidates currently slated for this position. The final candidate roster will be announced September 25 and the election is scheduled for October 31 in Minneapolis.

“We applaud the Diocese of Minnesota and the Diocese of Los Angeles for nominating openly gay and lesbian priests as part of a diverse, highly qualified slate of candidates,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese.

This development is not just good news for the Anglican church; it is good news for all people of faith seeking religious communities that understand our sexuality and gender identity is a gift from God and should never be used to bare us from worship or our call to ministry.

More

Gay-Friendly Online Highschool

2009-08-10T09:10:00.000-07:00

(Minnesota) A Maplewood, Minnesota-based GLBTQ High School will be launched online in January 2010 reports the Pioneer Press. Started by David Glick, the online high school would be the first of its kind.

“We may not bring people closer physically - but we will in every other way,” Glick said. “We want to make them feel more confident about who they are.”

Glick started working on the website, which will be called the GLBTQ Online High School, in order to reach students who live in rural areas that do not have access to many resources.

While Glick argues that this online school would protect students from bullying and act as a safe-haven, many fear that they will simply be further isolated from their peers.

“The danger of the online high school is that kids will stay isolated and feel uncared for,” said David Johnson, a social psychology teacher at the University of Minnesota. “It would be much better to have these kids in a regular high school.”

Others, such as Glick and Curt Johnson, disagree and believe students gain a closer relationship with their teachers online due to increased interaction.

“The individual transactions of e-mailing and telephoning regularly creates a relationship between students and teachers,” said Johnson, a managing partner at Education Evolving, a joint venture of the Center for Policy Studies and Hamline University that promotes technological progress in schools.

Through the use of videos, chats, graphics and other multimedia, and occasional phone calls, teachers on the online high school will teach a more “GLBT-friendly” curriculum that highlights importance figures in gay rights history.

http://www.glbtqonlinehighschool.com/index.html

Sylvia's Place stories on Driftwood

2009-08-10T08:17:00.000-07:00

http://www.imfromdriftwood.com/

“Sylvia’s Place” WeekMonday August 10, 2009

Sylvia’s Place, part of Metropolitan Community Church of New York (MCCNY), is an emergency night shelter and daytime community space for homeless LGBTQ youth, 16-24, in New York City. I stopped by there three times in the past four weeks and met with several of the youth there, talked to them about my site and asked if any of them would be interested in sharing their stories.

Every Tuesday, Greer Austin volunteers his time to manage a writing workshop at Sylvia’s Place and I thought that would be a great time for some of the interested youth to write their stories. It exceeded my expectations.

In only about half an hour, four of the youth and Greer himself hand wrote compelling, emotional, inspiring, well-written true tales from their lives. Just like all the stories on IFD, I didn’t give the authors a topic, they just wrote about any story involving them being LGBTQ. Every story this week will be by someone from Sylvia’s Place. It was a real pleasure meeting all the youth and hearing their stories read aloud for the first time, and I hope they’re as meaningful to you all as they are to me.

Daniel Radcliffe gives to support LGBTQ Youth considering suicide

2009-08-10T08:01:00.000-07:00

Harry Potter and Equus star Daniel Radcliffe has made a major donation to The Trevor Project, the non-profit organization that operates the only nationwide suicide-prevention helpline for LGBTQ youth, the group announced today:

"The 20-year-old actor joined The Trevor Project’s Circle of Hope, a community of major donors which plays an essential role in providing the financial leadership that makes the organization’s lifesaving work possible."

Said Radcliffe: “I am very pleased to begin my support of The Trevor Project, which saves lives every day through its critical work. It's extremely distressing to consider that in 2009 suicide is a top three killer of young people, and it's truly devastating to learn that LGBTQ youth are up to four times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers. I deeply hope my support can raise the organization's visibility so even more despondent youth become aware of The Trevor Helpline's highly trained counselors and Trevor’s many other resources. It's vitally important that young people understand they are not alone and, perhaps even more important, that their young lives have real value.”

Said Charles Robbins, executive director and CEO of The Trevor Project: "We’re incredibly grateful to Daniel for his truly inspiring and historic generosity and support. He is setting a meaningful example for millions of young people around the world by embracing diversity and demonstrating that he cares deeply about the well-being of LGBTQ youth."

health legislation proposed for gay youth

2009-08-06T12:24:00.000-07:00

NYC lawmaker wants health division for gay youths

2009-08-06T09:54:00.000-07:00

In 29 states, you can be fired solely because you're gay – and if you're transgender, that's 38 states. It's outrageous, and it's unacceptable.
The good news is that we are closer than ever to moving the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) and providing workplace protections for our entire community.
We have a President who supports a fully-inclusive ENDA. We have legislation in the House that already has more than 150 co-sponsors. And today, for the first time ever, we have a fully-inclusive bill in the Senate!
We need your help to continue building support for ENDA on Capitol Hill. Send a message to your senators today – tell them to cosponsor ENDA!We all know how tough the economy is these days. People across the country are struggling to find and keep jobs, pay their kids' medical bills and put food on the table. For LGBT Americans, however, there's also the very real threat that they could lose their jobs simply because of who they are.
Today, Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Susan Collins (R-ME) and Edward Kennedy (D-MA) have introduced a fully-inclusive version of ENDA in the Senate that could put an end to this bitter injustice.

Tel Aviv Youth Group Vigil

2009-08-06T09:53:00.001-07:00

Metropolitan Community Church of New York joins the Community-wide Prayer Vigil for Victims of the Attack on the Tel Aviv LGBT Youth Group.
Last Saturday night, an unknown assailant opened fire on a meeting of a gay and lesbian youth group in Tel Aviv, killing three people and injuring fifteen.

This Wednesday, August 5, New York responds.

Please join us for a community-wide memorial service as we stand in solidarity with the victims of this vicious attack and demand equality for LGBT people everywhere.
Speakers include Congressman Jerrold Nadler, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, Nehirim director Jay Michaelson, and others.

Success for Matthew Shepard Act

2009-07-29T13:15:00.000-07:00

I have great news to share: the Senate has passed the Matthew Shepard Act!
The bill will soon be on its way to President Obama's desk, where he'll get a chance to make good on his promise to sign it.
This vote came on the heels of tremendous pressure from radical right-wing groups that used every trick in the book.
They called the bill the "Pedophile Protection Act," among other outrageous claims. They dismissed the barbaric hate crime that took Matthew Shepard's life as a "hoax." They flooded the Senate with hundreds of thousands of letters and calls.
But your calls, emails, and financial support for our work helped make sure the truth prevailed in the end. Without you, this victory for equal rights would not have been possible.
Will you do one last important thing? Both of your senators voted "Yes" on the bill and both need to know we appreciate their courage under fire.
Please call and thank your senators today: Sen. Charles 'Chuck' E. Schumer (202) 224-6542 and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (202) 224-4451 .
Once you've called, please report your call. Don't skip this step! It helps us track all the calls.
A simple 'thank you' after the vote is just as important as all the calls and emails before the vote. It lets lawmakers know that their constituents are engaged, and makes them more likely to pay attention when we need their help again. This is a tremendous step forward for full equality for LGBT Americans, but we most certainly will need their help again.
Please take a minute from your busy day to make these two quick calls.

Bullying LGBTQ students

2009-07-29T11:00:00.000-07:00

Please read the article below to learn about the work that the Gay,
Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) is doing to promote the
Safe Schools Improvement Act, created "to promote school safety and
improve student achievement for all students, through legislation that
will comprehensively address the issues of bullying and harassment".

"Sirdeaner Walker Testifies Before House Subcommittees in Support of
Safe Schools Improvement Act"
http://www.glsen.org/cgi-bin/iowa/all/news/record/2449.html

While bullying is often seen as separate from sexual harassment,
gender-based and orientation-based harassment come in many different
forms. The Coalition for Gender Equity in Schools aligns itself with
this exciting and necessary work.

Please show your support of the Safe Schools Improvement Act by signing
the online petition at the beginning of the article.

More information about the SSI Act can be found here:
http://www.glsen.org/cgi-bin/iowa/all/news/record/2429.html

In favor of the Syringe Exchange!

2009-07-27T13:30:00.001-07:00

The House voted to defeat the Souder Amendment (and in favor of syringe exchange) 218 - 211.

Thank you all for the astonishing work that you have been doing to get people motivated to call!!!

Great news!

2009-07-20T04:33:00.001-07:00

NYC AIDS HOUSING NETWORK (NYAHN)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 17, 2009
Contact: Sean Barry, 646.373.3344 / barry@nycahn.org

LANDMARK HIV/AIDS AFFORDABLE HOUSING BILL PASSES NEW YORK SENATE

Bill Would Create An Affordable Housing Protection For 11,000 Low-Income People With AIDS At Risk Of Eviction;
Advocates Look to Assembly and Governor Paterson to Approve It

New York – A coalition of low-income people living with HIV/AIDS and housing providers praised the New York Senate for passing a bill designing to prevent homelessness among low-income people living with AIDS. The bill, introduced by Senator Tom Duane and sponsored by thirteen of his colleagues, would ensure low-income people with AIDS receiving public housing assistance pay no more than 30% of their disability income towards their rent. It passed with bipartisan support and despite the absence of four Democratic Senators.

“New York City’s rental assistance program for low-income people with AIDS leaves me with $11 per day, with the rest of my check going to rent each month. That means I have to choose between basic necessities like going to the doctor, buying groceries, keeping my phone turned on or paying rent. This bill would not only give me a fighting chance at a decent quality of life, it would help me survive,” commented Gustavo Pedroza, a campaign leader with the NYC AIDS Housing Network (NYCAHN).

An independent analysis by Shubert-Botein Policy Associates concluded that the bill could save New York money by preventing costly arrears, evictions and emergency housing placements. A growing body of research also documents that stable housing is essential to effective HIV/AIDS healthcare and prevention, including increasing adherence to medication, reducing hospitalizations and ER visits, and reducing HIV risk behaviors.

The bill remained bottled up in the Assembly Ways & Means committee before the end of their regular session, although the Assembly is expected to come back in the fall to pass reconciliation bills and budget modifications. Assembly Member Deborah Glick introduced companion legislation with forty cosponsors, including Ways & Means Committee Chair Denny Farrell. Advocates called on Speaker Silver and Governor Paterson to prioritize enacting the bill into law during any future legislation sessions in 2009.

“The Assembly went home without passing urgently needed legislation that would help me keep my home. We need Speaker Silver to take responsibility and prioritize this vital legislation when they come back to Albany,” said NYCAHN leader James Dean.

No Ban on Funding: ACT NOW

2009-07-15T15:25:00.000-07:00

Walk through key targets, brainstorming:
- what do we need to do in the next 2 days.

- Immediate Targets (likely yes’s and undecideds – need strong reinforcement)
== PHR has people all over
Berry (D-AR01) - Jonesboro (AMSA, C2EA)
Schiff (D-CA29) - Pasadena (APLA)
Lewis (R-CA41) - San Bernadino, Eastern LA (APLA)
Salazar (D-CO03) - Grand Junction, Pueblo (none)
Boyd (D-FL02) (Needs strong constituent support) - Tallahasse (C2EA)
Bishop (D-GA02) - Columbus, Albany, Thomasville (none)
Kirk (R-IL10) - GAA - north of Chicago, Waukegan, Northbrook (IAPAC)
Visclosky (D-IN01) - NW Indiana/Merrillville (C2EA)
Frelinghuysen (R-NJ11) - W of NYC, Dover, Madison (C2EA)
Kaptur (D-OH09) - Toledo, Sandusky (AMSA, MCC)
LaTourette (R-OH14) (listed as “pro,” but should receive strong attention) - eastern Cleveland suburbs (PHR + lots of others)
Murtha (D-PA12) - Johnstown (Px Pt Pgh)
Davis (D-TN04) (Needs strong constituent support) - Columbia, Jamestown, McMinnville, Rockwood (AMSA, PHR)
Mollohan (D-WV01) - Clarksburg, Wheeling (C2EA)

- if you're not from the area, you can say you have "family" there

Ramp up for next week/full House
- what can people elsewhere do?
- call your member of congress and tell them to support syringe exchange funding and vote against any amendments that would limit syringe exchange funding
- what would be useful to make? sample LTE (Kaytee + Farheen). there are also action alerts out there that people can use.
Update on House timeline:
- this friday, there's a full committee hearing on the labor-health and human services bill, where the syringe exchange funding ban is gone! we need to make sure to keep the ban out of the bill, and not let any new amendments that would restrict where funding can go.
- concerns around limiting syringe exchanges to >1,000 feet away from schools and tons of other types of buildings
- need to be sure that people who are supportive don't vote for amendments that would restrict funding or restore the ban
- constituents are really important
- next step after committee vote is a vote on the full floor of the House, Wednesday July 22nd
- Senate will mark up July 28th @ subcommittee, full committee on July 30th, floor before Aug 6th likely
- other possible amendments including
- we don't know what amendments will come, though, but we can expect bad ones. more information on this is attached.

Talking Points

This Friday, members of the Appropriations Committee will likely vote on syringe exchange programs. Opponents of these life-saving programs know that there is universal agreement that they help to prevent the spread of HIV without increasing drug use. They are likely to propose amendments that would attempt to undermine these programs – or eliminate them through a back-door. Below we highlight four amendments that have been offered in the past. We urge members to vote against any amendments. States and localities should decide whether and how to implement these programs, based on local circumstances.

Proximity to schools and other facilities “1000 foot rule”
• Local communities should decide whether to have a syringe exchange and where to place such a program.
• These kinds of restrictions have disparate impact on urban and rural areas. Some cities would no longer be able to run any programs.
• Programs should be placed where they are most needed. Arbitrary restrictions mean that some of the communities hardest hit wouldn’t have access.
• Today, states and localities decide where to place programs. The federal government should not override local authorities.

Safe Injection Facilities
• This bill does not legalize safe injection facilities. This is a red herring, designed to detract from the extensive medical evidence that syringe exchange helps to reduce HIV infection without increasing drug use.
• These facilities exist on a pilot basis in other countries like Canada, where drug users consume pre-obtained drugs with medical supervision. Not a single safe injection facility operates in the US and no city has plans to implement one.

Pledge to oppose the legalization of drugs
• These kinds of “pledge” requirements violate the first amendment because they restrict their right to engage in free speech. The courts have consistently found these free speech restrictions to be unconstitutional.
• This bill does not legalize drugs. The bill does prevent the spread of HIV and hepatitis and to link drug users to health and social services.

Heroin maintenance
• This bill does not legalize heroin or so-called “heroin maintenance” programs. The US currently offers two medications to treat addiction to opiates – methadone and buprenorphine. Syringe exchange programs are the best source of referrals to drug treatment.
• Some countries, including Switzerland, have pilot programs that provide medical grade heroin at government supervised medical clinics to drug users who have proven unresponsive to all other formers of drug treatment.
• Not a single US city has a heroin maintenance program and no city is planning on implementing one. An amendment relating to this issue would be nothing more than a ruse to restore the federal syringe exchange ban.

If you wanna help in any of the areas call Lucky Michaels at 212-629-7440 ext 226 to find out more.

The Senate is poised to vote on the Matthew Shepard Act THIS WEEK.

2009-07-14T10:50:00.000-07:00

The Senate is poised to vote on the Matthew Shepard Act THIS WEEK. But our allies are reporting an avalanche of 300,000 letters and calls from right-wing groups trying to stop it.
Anti-LGBT leaders like Focus on the Family's James Dobson are now calling the bill "utter evil." They're even referring to it as the "Pedophile Protection Act."
With a vote on hate crimes coming any day, we desperately need senators to hear from fair-minded people like you.
It takes about 45 seconds to call each one of your senators – and each one of them needs to hear from you today. It's just as important for supportive senators to hear from us – they've promised to pass this bill, and they need to know we're counting on them to keep fighting.
So set yourself a reminder on your computer. Make the call on your way to lunch. Or stop reading this and do it right now. Whatever you do, make sure to CALL YOUR SENATORS TODAY.
If you've never called Congress, let me assure you, it's incredibly easy.
Before 5 p.m. ET, call Sen. Charles 'Chuck' E. Schumer (202) 224-6542 and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (202) 224-4451 .
Most likely, one of your senator's interns will answer and ask where you're calling from and why. You're calling to urge the Senator to vote for the Matthew Shepard Act (S. 909). Most calls end right there. But if you like, you can add:
Hate crimes against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are on the rise.
One out of every six hate crimes is because of the victim's sexual orientation.
Hate crimes have more than one victim. They are intended to create an atmosphere of fear and terrorize entire communities.
IMPORTANT: After you hang up, click here to let us know that you made the call. Don't skip this step! It helps us track our progress.
We have the truth on our side – and we need you to speak the truth today to counter our opponents' outrageous lies. Please make your phone calls right now.
Then, please pass this email on to your friends and family.

With a new HIV infection every 9 ½ minutes in the US, why are we bailing out the bankers and leaving people with HIV without?

2009-07-09T11:22:00.000-07:00

27 PEOPLE TO BE ARRESTED IN CAPITOL ROTUNDA RIGHT NOW!!!

AIDS Activists Risk Arrest in Capitol Building
Demanding Promised Funding & Policy Changes
With a new HIV infection every 9 ½ minutes in the US, why are we bailing out the bankers and leaving people with HIV without?

Washington, DC— Dozens of AIDS activists from across the Northeast U.S. risked arrest today, staging a loud demonstration inside the Capitol Rotunda on the eve of key Congressional votes on appropriations for life-saving programs and one day before President Obama’s first trip to Africa since his election.

The activists decried the Obama administration’s failure to make good on a range of AIDS campaign promises including his pledge: to lift the federal ban on funding syringe exchange, to fully fund lifesaving global AIDS programs, and to fully fund AIDS housing programs in this year’s budget. The activists demanded Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and other Congressional leadership fix President Obama’s flawed budget proposal.

“HIV is not in recession,” said Omolola Adele-Oso of DC Fights Back. “So why are we bailing out the bankers with $9 trillion, but breaking promises to fund life-saving AIDS programs in the US and around the world at a fraction of that cost?”

Activists noted that despite campaign pledges to increase bilateral global AIDS (PEPFAR) funding by $1 billion a year and fully fund the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, the Administration’s budget proposal essentially flat-lines global AIDS funding. Unless President Obama and Congress keep their promise to fund their fair share of the Global Fund’s needed, for example, the Global Fund will have to cut billions of dollars worth of life saving grants.

The activists also denounced the administration’s failure to lift the ban on syringe exchange funding. “Thousands of people have died in the past decade because clean syringes aren’t available,” said Jose De Marco, an HIV+ member of ACT UP Philadelphia and Proyecto Sol Filadelphia. “President Obama, who many of us worked to elect, promised to follow the science and lift the federal funding ban on needle exchange, but his budget explicitly included the ban. Now it’s up to Congress to show real courage where the President has not.”

“We are here because we know that our friends, families, and communities are still dying,” said Larry Bryant of Housing Works. “From DC to California to Zambia people living with AIDS need Congress to act this week and need the administration to make good on its promises.”

Gustavo Pedroza, of the New York City AIDS Housing Network commented: "Housing is one of our most basic needs and a critical part of HIV treatment, care and prevention - without it, other strategies to fight HIV simply don't work. Given the rising cost of housing, President Obama's proposal to flat-fund federal AIDS housing programs will mean low-income people with HIV will lose their housing, not to mention longer waiting lists for a life-saving home."

SOUND THE ALARM: HIV IS NOT IN RECESSION

2009-07-07T10:34:00.001-07:00

**clean needles work**housing saves lives**fight global aids**

Every 9 1/2 minutes, someone in the US is infected with HIV.
45 more are infected around the world.
This is unacceptable, and we can prevent it.

Last month, President Obama presented his budget to Congress. While there were many areas that showed a real, positive change from the previous administration, there are a handful of areas where the budget did not go far enough. We need to tell Congress to fix it.

The US economy may be in recession, but HIV is not.

CHAMP and our allies are working to improve the federal budget on three levels:
• We want an end to the ban on syringe exchange funding (the ban is in the budget!)
• We want full funding for AIDS housing programs
• We want the US to pay its fair share to fight global AIDS

Congress needs to hear from us NOW. Without a clear outcry from the people they are accountable to - all of us - representatives challenged by a tough political enviornment will not necessarily do the right thing.

Call the leaders of the House and Senate today and tell them HIV is not in recession.

Please call Senate Majority Leader Reid and Speaker Pelosi.
As the leaders of both chambers of Congress, they can have a significant impact on the outcome of the budget, and are accountable to the entire nation.

Speaker Pelosi: 202-225-0100

Majority Leader Reid: 202-224-3542

When you call, say:

"My name is _____________ and I'm calling to request that Speaker Pelosi [Majority Leader Reid] work with the Appropriations Committee to improve President Obama's budget and secure sufficient funding for AIDS programs in the US and around the world. One person is infected with HIV every 9 and a half minutes in the US, and 45 more are infected around the world. It's time to act, and we need Speaker Pelosi's [Majority Leader Reid's] support for an end to the federal ban on funding syringe exchange, $2.7 billion for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria, at least a $1 billion increase in funding for PEPFAR, and $360 million for AIDS housing programs. HIV is not in recession, and these programs need Speaker Pelosi's [Majority Leader Reid's] support."

President Obama committed to fully funding evidence-based interventions, like AIDS housing and needle exchange. And he committed to increasing funding for the US Global AIDS Plan, known as PEPFAR, by at least $1 billion per year, plus support for multilateral programs like the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria.

Christian Century, July 14, 2009

2009-07-03T10:06:00.001-07:00

Religious orgs report 5.5% increase in donations in 08 -v- nationwide decline of 2% in charitable giving overall
Religious orgs received 35% of the total in charitable donations {a little over $100bill of the $307 bill given}
2/3 of public charities reported decreases
54% of human-services charities report increase in need
60% of human-services charities forced to cut expenses

"Organizations serving youth were hit the hardest, with 74% reporting funding shortages."
***majority of contributions came from individuals -v- corporations.
1/2 of all gifts by individuals went to religious orgs.

SAVE THE DATE!

2009-07-03T08:53:00.001-07:00

SAVE THE DATE!
CHAMP's 'The Politics of HIV Prevention' monthly forum series presents...
Love and Justice in a Time of HIV and AIDS:
The Current State of Affirming Faith Allies
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
6:30 - 8:30 PM

LGBT Community Center
208 West 13th Street (btwn 7th/8th aves.), NYC

Free ~ Open to the public ~ Light Supper & Refreshments provided

For our July forum in "The Politics of HIV Prevention" series, as a part of the series of events produced by the NYC Faith in Action Coalition for AIDS Prevention, Care, and Education (www.nycfia.org), CHAMP will host a community conversation addressing the current state of faith-based efforts for HIV prevention in New York City.

This forum explores ongoing HIV prevention justice efforts and new directions for interfaith and intra-faith community responses to HIV/AIDS, particularly addressing structural issues driving the domestic epidemic such as homophobia and mass imprisonment. Come join in the conversation with leaders from local faith communities who are working to build affirming outreach and programs to address the root causes of vulnerability amongst their members and in their communities.

Speakers:
Rashidah Abdul-Khabeer - Islamic Social Services Association
Rev. Pat Bumgardner - Metropolitan Community Church of New York
Rev. Stacey Latimer - Unity Fellowship Church Movement
Daniel Leyva - The Latino Religious Leadership Project
Oliver Martin - United Church of Christ HIV/AIDS Network
Waheedah Shabazz-El - U.S. Positive Women's Network
Krishna Stone, Ordained Non-Denominational Minister - GMHC
Aleza Summit - Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, Member

Moderator:
Laura McTighe - Project UNSHACKLE, CHAMP

The AJWS-AVODAH NY City Team Presents…

2009-07-02T10:35:00.000-07:00

Reel Talk: A Film Screening and Conversation on Storytelling and Social Justice

On Sunday, July 12th, join film enthusiasts, story tellers, and fellow Jewish activists, to experience “Youth Producing Change” - a series of short films created by youth from across the globe that premiered at the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival.

Together we will experience the vision of young activists who have channeled art and technology to share their perspectives, engage and empower their communities, and expose human rights issues close to their hearts.

With classic movie treats a plenty, you’re invited to relax, enjoy, and connect with other young Jews from across the city.

Following the screening, local Jewish artists and activists will enhance our movie-going experience by sharing their vantage points as they facilitate dialogue about art and activism. Together we will explore our values and the power of storytelling to promote social change.

When: Sunday, July 12, 2pm-5pm
Where: Congregation Beth Elohim, 274 Garfield Place, Park Slope, Brooklyn
To register: Click here. (or paste the following link: http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewformformkey=clAwX19XdEZzTkdLLW1kbjVub05KeVE6MA)
For more information: Contact newyorkcityteam@gmail.com.

Classic (and kosher!) movie snacks will be served.
Program begins promptly at 2:15pm. Screening begins at 2:30pm, followed by facilitated group conversations.

This program is the first in a two-part series related to art and activism from a Jewish lens. Stay tuned for more information about “Poetry as Protest”, a July 22nd event hosted by Uri L’Tzedek and Mima’amakim and co-sponsored by the AJWS-AVODAH Partnership.

Reel Talk is brought to you by the AJWS-AVODAH NY City Team and is co-sponsored by Brooklyn Jews, Uri L’Tzedek, and Mima’amakim. It is made possible thanks to collaboration with the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival and Founding Presenter, Adobe Youth Voices.

HRC HIV GOOD NEWS

2009-07-02T10:06:00.000-07:00

Dear Lucky,
A policy that punishes people for being HIV-positive is close to being repealed.
But we need to make sure it actually happens.
Help eliminate this discriminatory policy once and for all!
It's one of the ugliest remnants of discrimination against people with HIV/AIDS – hurtful, obsolete, and wrong.
A decades-old policy BANS nearly every foreign person with HIV from setting foot on U.S. soil.
But that could change very soon. President Obama's Department of Health and Human Services has finally proposed ending the ban. Starting today, the public has 45 days to weigh in. And the right wing certainly will.
We need to show broad support for ending this discriminatory policy.
We shouldn't punish people for being HIV-positive! Help the Obama administration follow through and end the ban.
This draconian ban tears apart families, denies American businesses access to talented workers, and bars tourists from supporting our economy. It bans students and researchers. It's the reason why the U.S. hasn't hosted a global AIDS conference since 1990.
And it is just downright pointless. Leading doctors have opposed this policy for decades because it has no benefit for public health.
In fact, the U.S. is one of only a handful of countries including Russia, Saudi Arabia and Sudan that maintains such harsh policies. It's time we got with the program.
Congress finally repealed the law a year ago, but only HHS can actually remove HIV/AIDS from the list of diseases with travel restrictions. The Obama administration has proposed the necessary change, but they need our help to get it across the finish line.

Take action now! Help end the ban, once and for all.

Thank you for taking action. This hurtful policy has harmed HIV-positive people for far too long, and with your help, we'll end it.
Warmly,

Joe Solmonese
President

2009-07-01T09:24:00.001-07:00

Support New LGBT bill in Arkansas

Your help is needed in order to help get the word out about a bill in Congress that would change the lives of many people who’s families are being torn apart.

The Uniting American Families Act (UAFA -H.R. 1024/S. 424) was introduced as a Valentine’s Day gift this year to same-sex, binational couples by Rep. Jerrold Nadler and Sen. Patrick Leahy.

The UAFA would fulfill the pledge of family unification under current U.S. immigration policy by allowing gay and lesbian Americans to sponsor their life partners for immigration to the United States.

As you may be aware, the U.S. government discriminates against gay and lesbian binational couples by not allowing us to sponsor our foreign-born life partners for immigration. Because of this, we face the terrible choice of separating from the person we love
or leaving our country. As Americans, we should not have to choose between family and country.

The Washington Post and The San Francisco Chronicle have both recently endorsed passage of the UAFA, and the American Bar Association has also just recently adopted a resolution endorsing the UAFA.

This is an issue that The White House also supports:

Asked about Obama’s stance on UAFA [the Uniting American Families Act] and the likelihood of its inclusion in comprehensive immigration legislation, White House spokesman Shin Inouye said in a statement that: “The president thinks Americans with partners from other countries should not be faced with a painful choice between staying with their partner or staying in their country. We will work closely with Congress to craft comprehensive immigration reform legislation.”

This is not a problem that is fixed by civil unions or even same-sex marriage arriving in Iowa, Vermont, Maine or any other state. Tens of thousands of bi-national same-sex couples continue to be discriminated against despite changing marriage laws. The Uniting American Families Act would allow us to sponsor our foreign partners for immigration, a right that straight married couples in the US enjoy, along with same-sex couples in 19 other nations around the world. Until this legislation passes, the US will continue, in the gleeful words of the Family Research Council, to “export homosexuals from the United States” as we are forced to choose between our loved ones and our country.

PLEASE contact your members of Congress about this bill, and then reach out to the LGBT Community by mentioning this bill on your website, and send this e-mail to your members, board, family and friends - anyone who is supportive of LGBT rights in Arkansas - to help spread the word about this very important issue. While I am not from Arkansas, in order for this bill to move forward, it needs the support of as many members of Congress as possible, including:

Senator Blanche Lincoln 800-352-9364
Senator Mark Pryor (501) 324-6336
Rep. Marion Berry (870) 972-4600
Rep. Vict Snyder 501-324-5941
Rep. John Boozman(479) 725-0400
Rep. Mike Ross (870) 881-0681

Reaching out to these members of Congress by calling and writing to them to ask for their support can help to ensure this bill will pass! Even if they are Republicans, they need to hear from their constituents about this.

I am one such person who would benefit greatly from the passage of the UAFA. I am an American citizen and my partner is from Europe and we both live and work here in the US, where we bought an apartment together a few years ago. With the recent economic downturn, my partner’s employer has notified him that his work visa will not be renewed when it expires in a few months. If he cannot locate another employer willing to sponsor his work visa (he has been trying for months, but not only is it difficult to find a job at the moment, but especially so when you have to convince the employer to hire an immigration attorney), we will be forced to sell our place, leave our family and friends, and move to Europe. This is something neither of us want to do as we have built a life here together.

If this bill does not move forward on its own, it must be included in Comprehensive Immigration Reform - to include the right of gay and lesbian Americans to sponsor our partners and spouses for immigration.

Sadly, many members of the progressive and pro-LGBT Community are not aware of this issue. Please help me contact Congress to spread the word!!

Update on this issue

We picked up 13 more co-sponsors in the House of Representatives,and 2 more in the Senate. There was a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing about this bill and it got a lot of press (NY Times, CNN and others).

KEEP CALLING - IT IS WORKING

Trevor Project

2009-07-01T09:23:00.000-07:00

Trevor Project Needs Help

The Trevor Project, is the only national 24/7 suicide and prevention help line for LGBTQ youth and it needs our help as LGBTQ leaders. Simply stated: it needs contributions. If I may be so bold to know despite all of the current ongoing DOMA battles, despite all of the daily excitement and frustration and debate and celebration, we also must see the collateral damage, the wounds that these great strides can inflict. And in doing so, in acknowledging the young people in this country who feel the hateful burden of these triumphant strides, we prepare the next generation of LGBTQ citizens to achieve and sustain what we all so desperately want, and what we all so genuinely deserve: equality and justice for all.

When a kid from Iowa calls Trevor's helpline because his father just cursed the state government for allowing same-sex marriage, and when the helpline counselor talks and listens and gets him to put down the handful of pills he wanted to take that night. When that one life is saved, we may have just re-written the life story of the first gay president, or of a doctor who will work to ease the difficulties of gender transition, or of a diplomat who will one day represent the United States proudly as the leader in LGBT human rights worldwide, or of a teacher who will stop the bullying in his classroom and pass on the hope Trevor gave him.

When we answer the phone for a girl who is the only openly bi-sexual student in her high school, and the only member of the gay-straight alliance she founded despite her principal’s resistance, and her parent’s protest, and we acknowledge and affirm her bravery, we know we have inspired not just one agent of change, but a generation.

In perceived isolation, many young people grow up today with no reason to think that the horrible things they hear about LGBTQ people aren’t true. The Trevor Project anticipates this. They are poised, and they are growing, and their influence is expanding.

To everyone who calls, we offer comfort at a distance. It’s knowing that in their darkest moment, they have an outlet. They have someone who gets it. But no matter what advice they offer or resources they provide, the most important line they utter to each and every caller is: “you can call us back any time 24/7. We’re always here”

PLEASE ask someone, a client, a friend, a parent, a spouse, yourself to support Trevor today at their website thetrevorproject.org.

Make 2 Calls Today!!

2009-06-19T07:40:00.000-07:00

Health care reform is moving fast through Congress, and provisions are at risk that would protect people living with HIV and AIDS and those most vulnerable to transmission. Opponents are citing high costs, but 50% of people living with HIV and AIDS in the US do not have regular health care.

Health care is a human right, and
a critical investment for healthy families, a healthy work force and a healthy economy.

Your help is vital NOW to ensure Senate committees keep key components of the legislation that protect people living with HIV and AIDS.

How you can help:

Call your two United States Senators in their Washington, DC office. Ask to speak to the staff person who handles HIV and health care issues. You might get their voicemail, or you might speak to them in person. Either way, tell them:

"My name is ____________ and I live in (city/state). I am very concerned that health care reform will not meet the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS. Any final health care legislation must eliminate the disability requirement for Medicaid and ensure that all low-income people, including childless adults, have early access to care. It must also include language from the Early Treatment for HIV Act which expands access to Medicaid for people living with HIV. Finally, it must have a public plan option to best ensure affordable access to comprehensive care for people with HIV. All three provisions are crucial to ensure that people with HIV/AIDS have early access to care and treatment that keep them healthy and productive. I urge Senator ______________ to do everything in his/her power to fight for these important provisions."

You can reach your Senators by calling the Capitol Switchboard at 1-202-224-3121. If you don't know who your Senators are, go to www.congress.org and enter your zip code in the upper right corner.

Phone calls are particularly effective right now because Congress is moving quickly. However, if you prefer to send an email, go to your Senator's website (linked from www.senate.gov). You will find instructions on sending emails to that office. Cut and paste the phone message, make sure your name and the Senator's name is included, and add a short personal note explaining why this issue is important to you.

If you need help figuring out who your Senators are or how to call/email them, write to action@projectinform.org and someone will help!

The move to reform health care in the United States must ensure that everyone living with HIV benefits from early and reliable access to lifesaving care and treatment. Coordinated action by our entire community is needed to make sure Congress knows how important these three core provisions are for all of us:

Expanding Medicaid for all low-income people, including childless adults, by eliminating current requirements that tie Medicaid to disability status. This would give approximately 42% of all people living with HIV who are currently uninsured immediate access to health care through Medicaid.

Including Early Treatment for HIV Act (ETHA) language which gives states the option to expand Medicaid access to low-income people living with HIV whose incomes are above established Medicaid income eligibility rules. This will give states the option to expand coverage for people living with HIV/AIDS, reaching more than 75% who are currently uninsured.

Including a strong public plan option to help provide affordable access to comprehensive care for people HIV - nearly 30 percent of whom have no insurance. This would offer a national standard for coverage and greater dependability, consistency and security for people with HIV than private plans, which can charge higher prices and/or close, merge or change benefits at will.

All three of these priorities are crucial to ensure the best possible expansion of care and treatment for people with HIV/AIDS and must be part of any final health care reform package.

Decisions are being made quickly and Congress needs to hear directly from people who are most impacted by this legislation. Please take a minute to make two important phone calls today!