Downtown Kiss-In marks Anti-Homophobia Day

Couples from the LGBT community participated in a Kiss-In on Friday to mark International Anti-Homophobia Day.

The event, which saw LGBT Calgarians kiss in public, took place at Thomkins Park along 17th Avenue S.W.— a location that organizers say holds special importance for the community.

“[It] used to be a very dangerous place for gay and lesbian and bi and trans youth who would go to bars in the neighbourhood and then people who were homophobic would come and beat them up,” said Brett Aberle, who works with Calgary Outlink, the group hosting the event.

Last year, the city received 11 reports of assaults related to sexual orientation.

That’s nearly double the reports it received in 2011.

For some, the event marks a show of support that would have been inconceivable not that long ago.

“One was never sure, if one was being approached, if it was someone looking for a friend or looking for a victim,” said Bill Taylor, a participant with Gay Friends in Calgary.

For others, the Kiss-In marked an opportunity to let go of years of frustration.

“I see straight couples walking to work everyday [who] part and give each other a kiss,” said Calvin Campbell, who works with anti-hate crime group Pride at Work. “I’ve always been mad in the past. It’s not their fault … it’s time to let it go.”

It’s the first time the Kiss-In has been held in Calgary.

Canada’s first Kiss-In took place in 2003 but cities around the world have hosted them going back to the 1980s.

According to Statistics Canada, Calgary has the highest number of hate crimes out of all Canadian cities.

However, Aberle says that it’s difficult to really compare violence between cities.

“There’s a lot of folks that say that’s because we have a really high percentage of hate crimes that actually go reported, whereas in a lot of other places they go unreported,” Aberle said in an interview with CBC’s The Homestretch. “It’s hard to say if there’s more hate crimes against the LGBT community here than elsewhere or if they’re just getting reported more.”

While the numbers may be difficult to compare, participants say the fact that they could hold a Kiss-In on 17th Avenue is significant.

“I’ve heard lots of stories from elders in our community who say you couldn’t even walk down 17th Avenue alone in the 90s because there’d be bands of young, straight men in their pick-up trucks with baseball bats looking to beat up queers,” said Aberle.

“Nowadays, that’s definitely not the case … things have definitely got a lot better.”

Article source: http://ca.news.yahoo.com/downtown-kiss-marks-anti-homophobia-day-181638086.html

LGBT Health (http://www.liebertpub.com/lgbt), a new peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers (http://www.liebertpub.com), launching in fall 2013, presents a timely and in-depth perspective on several key controversies surrounding gender diagnoses. This month the American Psychiatric Association will publish the 5th version of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5). DSM-5 includes important revisions to the controversial diagnosis formerly known as Gender Identity Disorder (GID), in which an individual’s physical make-up does not align with his or her inner experience of gender. Some had argued that this diagnosis was not only stigmatizing but that it did not meet criteria for classifying it as a mental disorder. The DSM-5 Workgroup chose to retain the disorder classification but to change the name of the disorder to Gender Dysphoria to reduce the stigma associated with the diagnosis. The article “Controversies in Gender Diagnoses (http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/lgbt.2013.1500)” by Jack Drescher, MD, is the first article to be published in LGBT Health, and is available free online on the LGBT Health (http://www.liebertpub.com/lgbt) website.

Article source: http://www.news-medical.net/news/20130518/LGBT-Health-journal-presents-in-depth-perspective-on-gender-diagnoses.aspx

A week of drag shows, colorful marches and social and cultural events in Havana culminates Friday with celebrations of the International Day Against Homophobia.

Hundreds of activists have taken part in the activities organized by a sex education center headed by first daughter Mariela Castro.

“Join (us) to educate families about their great social responsibility to ensure that there is no discrimination of any kind,” Castro said.

The schedule included a gala bash at the capital’s cavernous Karl Marx theater, with drag performers on stage with the popular musical group Los Van Van. Vice President Miguel Diaz-Canel attended.

Gays were persecuted for decades after the 1959 Cuban Revolution, sometimes sent to grueling rural work camps along with others considered socially suspect by the Communist government.

But there has been a gradual shift away from macho attitudes, and Fidel Castro himself has publicly regretted the mistreatment of people seen as different.

Six years ago, Cuba’s health care system began providing gender reassignment surgery free of charge, and a proposal to legalize same-sex civil unions is being studied.

But Mariela Castro, Fidel’s niece and the daughter of current president Raul Castro, says more must be done to raise awareness about lesbian, gay bisexual and transgender people.

Article source: http://feeds.abcnews.com/c/35229/f/654825/s/2c124609/l/0Labcnews0Bgo0N0CInternational0CwireStory0Cap0Ephotos0Ecubas0Elgbt0Ecommunity0Ecelebrates0E1920A4217/story01.htm

New York, May 18 : Marking the International Day Against Homophobia, United Nations officials Friday issued a call on Governments worldwide to protect the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals, and strike laws that discriminate against them.

“The fight against homophobia is a core part of the broader battle for human rights for all,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in his remarks to the International Forum on the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO), held in The Hague, the Netherlands.

“The Universal Declaration of Human Rights promises a world that is free and equal, and we will only honour that promise if everyone – without exception – enjoys the protection they deserve.”

In his message, which was delivered by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay on Thursday, Ban called for more public education to end negative stereotypes and underlined Governments’ responsibility to the take the lead in promoting greater understanding of the issue.

“We know what needs to be done. Draconian laws used to criminalize and punish LGBT people must be replaced by new laws that are in harmony with universal human rights conventions and protect everyone from discrimination on grounds of their sexual orientation and gender identity.”

During the same forum, Pillay stressed that while there has been progress in recent years in overcoming homophobia “many States are still reluctant to acknowledge the extent of violence and discrimination meted out to those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex.”

Pillay highlighted three areas that require immediate attention. The first is hate crimes, which “take place with alarming regularity in all regions of the world,” and range from bullying to physical assault, torture, kidnapping and murder.

The second concern is the criminalization of homosexuality. Some 76 countries continue to outlaw same sex relationships, violating citizen’s right to privacy. Penalties range from jail sentences to execution.

The prevalence of discriminatory practices against LGBT is the third area of concern, and Pillay noted that in many countries, LGBT individuals lack legal protection by national laws and in some instances States are actively contributing to this type of discrimination.

In 2011, 85 States signed a statement expressing their concern at human rights violations perpetrated against LGBT people, and the UN Human Rights Council adopted the first ever resolution to specifically address the issue.

Last year, the UN Human Rights Office produced a guide to LGBT rights entitled ‘Born Free and Equal’ that sets out States’ core legal obligations.

Administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) Helen Clark said that in spite of recent progress, much remains to be done to secure LGBT rights. She noted that UNDP is on the ground in over 170 countries and territories, implementing programmes focusing on the rights of all people to access important services and live lives of dignity.

“Many of the people we work with are excluded from development opportunities specifically because of their sexual orientation or gender expression, contributing to the staggering levels of inequality around the world. Such inequalities impede development progress for society as a whole.”

Miss Clark added that through its work in human rights, access to justice, and HIV law reform, UNDP is partnering with Government, civil society and the LGBT community in many countries to tackle these gross inequities.

The Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) Michel Sidibe said that if the HIV/AIDS epidemic is to be eliminated, there need to be greater efforts to ensure LGBT individuals are not prevented from receiving health services.

“If we are going to end AIDS we need the LGBT community more than ever,” Sidibe told reporters during a press conference at UN Headquarters in here.

“I am outraged that we still have to fight prejudice, stigma, discrimination, exclusion, criminalization of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people, not only in their homes, but in their streets, police stations and court rooms.

“It is unacceptable that only one in 10 gay men have access to life-saving HIV services. HIV prevalence among men who have sex with men is 19 times higher than in the general population.”

To mark the Day, OHCHR has released a video entitled ‘The Riddle’ which asks: What exists in every corner of the world but remains illegal in more than 70 countries? The answer: Being gay, being lesbian, bisexual or transgender.

Produced in collaboration with the Purpose Foundation, ‘The Riddle’ was watched by more than 60,000 people within 24 hours of its release on YouTube.

While not an officially observed UN day, the majority of which have been established by the UN General Assembly or designated by UN specialized agencies, the International Day Against Homophobia has become an important day for millions around the world to pause and remember the victims of homophobic violence and discrimination, and to make the case for genuine equality for LGBT people.

–IBNS

Article source: http://www.newkerala.com/news/story/21435/countries-must-repeal-laws-discriminating-lgbt-individuals.html

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The Ruth Ellis Center helps about 5,000 young people each year.

Mercedes Mejia /Michigan Radio

The Ruth Ellis Center helps about 5,000 young people each year.

Mercedes Mejia /Michigan Radio

If you’re a homeless young adult, chances are good that you’re gay, bisexual or transgender. And if you live in the Detroit area, the Ruth Ellis Center is trying to reach you. The center, based in Highland Park, Mich., has taken an unorthodox approach to helping homeless LGBT youth — and it starts on the dance floor, specifically with the dance form known as “vogue.”

“It’s all about your wrists and your imagination,” says 21-year-old dancer Donnie Dawson. “You just have to make sure your hands are coordinated with your imagination.”

Donnie, a regular at the Ruth Ellis Center, advises that you pretend you’re holding a basketball, then mime with your hands the circular shape of the ball. Vogue dancing is sort of like break dancing meets ballet. But if you need a quick reference, think of Madonna’s 1990 hit “Vogue” in which she sings about a dance form created by poor and working-class blacks and Latinos in New York City’s gay community in the ’60s and ’70s. Today, vogue is still all about flipping, dipping and catwalking; it’s acrobatic, sexual and at times very feminine in its movements.

In a big upstairs room at the Ruth Ellis Center, the floor is vibrating — that’s how loud the house music is. Matthew Dawson, 22, is wearing sunglasses inside and dancing by himself in a corner.

“One of the emotions that I say I put into my vogue would maybe be anger,” he says. “I feel like I put it into vogue so I won’t have to put it into other things that are not very constructive.”

Matthew says that it wouldn’t be safe for him to dance like this in the outside world. And the same goes for the mostly black and LGBT kids dancing in this room with him.

LGBT Youth Fall Through The Cracks

According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, about half a million youth and young adults under 24 have at one point been homeless for more than one week; and multiple sources, including The Williams Institute, report that between 40 and 60 percent of them are LGBT. Once a homeless kid hits the streets, he is at risk of getting involved with all kinds of bad things, regardless of whether he is gay or straight. That includes violence, sexual assault and being propositioned for prostitution, says Jessie Fullenkamp, director of drop-in services at the Ruth Ellis Center.

According to Fullenkamp, homeless LGBT kids have often been kicked out by their birth families and they sometimes face discrimination and hostility when they try to get help from formal organizations. That’s why a group of professionals created the Ruth Ellis Center.

“Attorneys, teachers, social workers … saw LGBTQ youth falling through cracks in all these systems — in our families, in our schools and job opportunities — and realized that we really needed to pay special attention to this community,” Fullenkamp says.

So the drop-in center always makes a space available for dancing.

“And then that’s kind of the hook that gets a lot of the youth in the door initially,” Fullenkamp says.

After that, the center can connect them with counseling, health services, tutoring and clean clothes. And these kids need the help: According to Fullenkamp, 65 percent of them have traded sex for money or drugs or food.

The Vogue Family Extends ‘Beyond Any Ballroom’

Vogue dancing isn’t just something that gets kids into the Ruth Ellis Center; it’s also its own complex world. In it, people form teams known as “houses.”

“And when that relationship is really close and really tight, it turns into a family … [that] extends far beyond any ballroom,” says Donnie Dawson. “If I’m stranded somewhere and I need some help, I can call you and you’ll be there.”

Donnie considers Lakyra Dawson, a 24-year-old transgender woman, his adopted gay mom. (Similarly, Lakyra and Matthew Dawson consider themselves adopted siblings.) Both Lakyra and Donnie are regulars at the center and he has taken her last name as his own. She has pushed Donnie and his adopted siblings to pursue their educations, in part because Lakyra dropped out of high school, ran away from home at 13 and spent 10 years on the streets.

“That’s a lot of things to know and see and do and experience,” Lakyra says. “So my mistakes, I use that as, you know, the rule book. Like don’t do this, stay away from that.”

Donnie says Lakyra has given him a lot of guidance about his education and life choices. “I call her Mama,” he says, “because the knowledge that I get from her is way far beyond gay life.”

The relationship is incredibly meaningful to Donnie because last year, his birth mother died.

About 4,600 young people came to the Ruth Ellis Center during its drop-in hours last year. Its staff says that providing a safe place to dance is a very intentional part of their strategy: The idea is that through dance, they can meet kids where they are, which is on the dance floor.

Article source: http://www.npr.org/2013/05/17/180326971/michigan-lgbt-youth-center-does-outreach-with-a-dance-hook?ft=1&f=2

LGBT groups are crying foul after Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) launched a campaign Friday aimed at finding homes for a thousand of the nearly 4,000 children in Virginia’s foster care system.

The Family Equality Council and Equality Virginia are pointing out that McDonnell has previously restricted adoption and foster-care options by signing into law a so-called ”conscience clause” bill that allows state-licensed agencies to discriminate against prospective parents on sexual orientation and a variety of other factors.

A component of McDonnell’s new ”Virginia Adopts” initiative is the ”Campaign for 1,000,” a goal of placing 1,000 children in the state’s foster-care system with families across the commonwealth.

LGBT advocates point out, however, that McDonnell has already denied access to loving families through legislation he signed last year.

”Virginia is the worst in the county in placing children out of foster care,” Denise Brogan-Kator, senior legislative counsel for the Family Equality Council, said in a statement responding to the launch of Virginia Adopts. ”Hopefully, this campaign signals the Governor’s awareness of this fact, and will lead him to opening the way to adoption and foster care for more prospective parents in the Commonwealth. The only factor that should matter is the child’s best interest.”

McDonnell last year signed into law a ”conscience clause” bill that bolstered a 5-1 decision by the State Board of Social Services allowing adoption or foster care agencies to refuse to place children with particular adoptive or foster parents based their sexual orientation, religion, age, gender, disability, family status and political beliefs.

Under Virginia law, adoption is available only to opposite-sex married couples or single people, but not to unmarried couples, gay or straight. But the law McDonnell signed allows placement agencies to refuse consideration of potential adoptive or foster parents if doing so violates an agency’s written or stated religious or moral convictions, even if those agencies receive state funding.

”Governor McDonnell’s administration has continually put the special interests of certain agencies ahead of the best interests of all children in need of a loving family,” James Parrish, executive director of the nonpartisan LGBT rights group Equality Virginia, said in a statement critical of McDonnell’s record on adoption. ”Denying willing and qualified families makes no sense when the state itself admits it has more than 4,000 children in the foster care system.”

In addition to Parrish’s statement, Equality Virginia also sent an email to supporters asking them to take to social media and urge the governor to consider LGBT Virginians as prospective adoptive/foster parents. Supporters are asked to send messages to the campaign’s @VirginiaAdopts Twitter account using the hash tag to post their feelings on the Virginia Adopts Facebook page; and to contact the governor’s office directly.

”In announcing his adoption campaign, the governor said ‘every child deserves the security and love that a family provides,”’ said Rob Keeling, an adoptive father from Richmond, quoted in the statement released jointly by Equality Virginia and the Family Equality Council. ”As an adoptive dad, I fully agree. Thousands of parents in Virginia who are gay and lesbian would gladly provide a loving and secure home to kids in need, if Virginia dropped laws and policies that discriminate.”

”I am a proud father to one adopted son,” said Greg Greeley, of Arlington, also quoted in the statement. ”I know that my sexual orientation has nothing to do with my capability to parent or my capacity to care for my child. If the Governor allowed ALL loving, capable and qualified parents to foster or adopt, Virginia could solve that problem.”

A spokesman for McDonnell’s office was not immediately available for comment.

Article source: http://www.metroweekly.com/news/?ak=8353

Almost two-thirds of Europe’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community experience discrimination and physical violence, according to an EU report.

The report was published on Friday, which marks the International Day Against Homophobia.

“Fear, isolation and discrimination are everyday phenomena for the LGBT community in Europe,” Morten Kjaerum, the director of the EU’s Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), wrote in the report.

The online survey questioned around 93,000 people in the EU’s 27 member states plus Croatia, which is to join the bloc in July.

Just over a quarter of the respondents said that they had been physically or verbally assaulted over the last five years.

The report said transgenders suffered particularly, with 28 percent saying they had been attacked or threatened more than three times in the last 12 months because of their sexuality.

Some respondents said that even in countries traditionally considered to be tolerant, attitudes were worsening.

“My situations of harassment/discrimination/violence are mainly random acts of verbal aggression,” a 27-year-old gay Belgian wrote.

“The situation is worse now than it was, for example, four years ago.”

In The Netherlands, the first country in the world to legalise gay marriage in 2001, almost 20 per cent of those taking part said they felt discriminated against when going to sport clubs or hospitals, looking for an apartment, going out at night, or dealing with banks.

The average figure across Europe was 32 percent, with the highest figures reported in Lithuania (42 per cent); Croatia (41 per cent); Bulgaria (40 per cent); and Romania (39 per cent).

LGBT students

Many said they were afraid to go to the police, including in France where the beating of a gay couple in April and pictures of the bloodied face of one of the victims spread across social media.

“[I am] reluctant to report anything that might indicate that I am gay, as I know [the police] just dismiss everything,” a 42-year-old Frenchman said.

And a 32-year-old Czech lesbian said: “For me, the most alarming discrimination experienced is in health.

“I feel strong enough to deal with street harassment now, but I feel upset about having to justify my lifestyle to every doctor.”

Two-thirds of respondents and three-quarters of gay men said they were afraid to show their sexuality in public.

The FRA report noted that discrimination often begins at school, where two-thirds of respondents hid their sexual orientation.

“Ten years later, I still consider being bullied at school the worst form of homophobic abuse I’ve ever been subjected to,” a gay Maltese man, 25, said.

The FRA said: “Member states must take care that LGBT students feel secure at school, given that that is where LGBT people’s negative experiences, social prejudice and exclusion often begins.”

The UN has launched its own education campaign, with Secretary General Ban Ki-moon reassuring the world’s LGBT community: “You are not alone”.

Article source: http://en-maktoob.news.yahoo.com/eu-report-says-lgbt-face-discrimination-085940429.html

The EU’s largest LGBT hate crime and discrimination survey ever conducted shows that many lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people cannot be themselves in their daily lives.

Many hide their identity and live in isolation or even fear. Others experience discrimination, and even violence, when being themselves, the survey carried out by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), shows.

“Everyone should feel free to be themselves at home, work, at school and in public – but clearly, LGBT people often don’t. Results from FRA’s survey show that fear, isolation and discrimination are common in Europe’s LGBT community,” FRA Director Morten Kjaerum said. “We need EU-wide action to break down the barriers, eliminate the hate and create a society where everyone can fully enjoy their rights, no matter what their sexual orientation or gender identity is.”

The survey found that two our of three LGBT respondents were hiding their gay identity at schools. At least 60% personally experienced negative comments or conduct at school because they were LGBT while over 80% in every EU Member State recall negative comments or bullying of LGBT youth at school.

35% of Maltese respondents reported feeling discriminated against in the last 12 months in areas other than employment, highlighting the need for the introduction of anti-discrimination legislation outside the field of employment.

In the field of education, 91% of Maltese respondents reported having heard negative comments or having seen negative conduct because a schoolmate was perceived to be LGBT during their schooling before the age of 18.

The Riddle: new anti-homophobia message from UN human rights office

19% of respondents felt discriminated against at work or when looking for a job, despite legal protection under EU law. This underlines the need for EU-wide action to counter the many obstacles LGBT people face to their basic rights in their everyday life. Other findings show:

• 26% of LGBT people who answered the survey had been attacked or threatened with violence in the last five years.
• 66% of respondents across all EU Member States were scared of holding hands in public with a same-sex partner.
• For gay and bisexual men respondents it was about 75%.

The survey also reveals that transgender people are the most affected among LGBT respondents to have personally felt discriminated against, particularly in employment and healthcare. About 30% said they were victims of violence or threats of violence more than three times in the year before the survey.

High levels of under-reporting of instances of discrimination and hate crime were also detected. This is despite 56% of respondents being aware of laws against discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity.

Half of all victims of violence and harassment felt that the police would do nothing. This pattern is not unique to the LGBT group researched. FRA found such under-reporting also in other groups, for instance, among members of ethnic minorities

Article source: http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/en/newsdetails/news/world/fra-report-idaho-survey-20130517

The marriage equality and LGBT rights stories continue to pour in. Here’s our recap of the rest of them today.

WATCH: FRENCH WAITRESS CELEBRATES PASSAGE OF MARRIAGE EQUALITY LAW

In France, a lesbian waitress’s excitement over passage of the marriage equality bill is captured on video. She Wired explains:

It was a glorious day on April 23, when French lawmakers voted marriage equality into law. And for one French diner waitress, that day became revelatory as she hopped on to a banquette and proclaimed her lesbianism before hungry customers. When I was a child I had a dream. Now I am an adult and I realize I am a lesbian,” the waitress shouted. “I can be MARRIED!”

THE SEVEN CRAZIEST THINGS ANTI-GAY FOLKS ARE SAYING

Queerty has collected some of the wackiest (and sadest) things our opponents are saying about us:

Titled “How They See Us,” it’s climbed its way to the top of the Scribd’s political category over the last few months. Here are a few of our favorite excerpts, emphasis ours throughout.

Homosexuality is “…one man violently cramming his penis into another man’s lower intestine and calling it ‘love’” – Matt Barber, Liberty Counsel

See the rest at the link above.

LGBT RIGHTS ADVANCE IN PUERTO RICO

Two stories out of Puerto Rico – first, the Mayor of San Juan signed two executive orders. The Washington Blade reports:

San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz ordered her city’s police department to apply the island’s current domestic violence laws with what the Primera Hora newspaper described as “the highest degree of respect” regardless of the reported victim’s sexual orientation. She also banned discrimination against San Juan municipal employees based on their sexual orientation or gender identity and expression.

And the Puerto Rico Senate passed some LGBT legislation as well. The Blade reports:

The Puerto Rican Senate on Thursday approved a bill that would ban employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity and expression in the U.S. territory. The 15-11 vote took place after lawmakers for several hours debated Senate Bill 238 that Sen. Ramon Nieves Perez introduced in January

MSNBC SPENT FAR MORE TIME ON MARRIAGE EQUALITY FIGHTS THAN FOX OR CNN

Following on the heels of the revelation that Fox News devoted about a minute, total, to the three recent US state fights on marriage equality, Equality on Trial looks at how long all three 24 hour news networks spent on the issue:

Of the three legislative victories, MSNBC mentioned marriage equality stories 35 times, CNN mentioned them 13 times and Fox made just three mentions. The duration of each network’s coverage differed dramatically, with MSNBC devoting substantially more time to the issue than the other two networks. For example, MSNBC devoted more than 10 minutes of time to Rhode Island’s marriage equality law, while CNN spent a little over a minute and Fox News only 16 seconds.

I gotta say, we watched our favorite shows on MSNBC for weeks to see something on the amazing progress being made. Rachel Maddow finally did a segment on Minnesota, but was absent on Rhode Island and Delaware. For three such epic victories back to back, MSNBC’s 37 minutes looks pretty dismal, and they were by far the best on the issue.

TEXAS CHRISTIAN GROUPS TRY TO INTIMIDATE SAN ANTONIO OVER DOMESTIC PARTNER BENEFITS

It’s just shocking and offensive to me to see so-called Christian groups fighting tooth and nail to remove health benefits form gay and lesbian couples. Joe.My.God reports:

Two San Antonio-based Christian groups are threatening to sue the city in order to overturn insurance benefits granted to the partners of LGBT city employees. Pastor Gerald Ripley [left] of Voices for Marriage and Philip Sevilla of Texas Leadership Coalition made the request Wednesday with backing from a few sign-carrying supporters at City Hall. Attorney General Greg Abbott issued an opinion April 29 stating cities that offer marriage benefits to employees’ same-sex partners are violating the Texas Constitution.

First of, how petty can you get? It’s not marriage, and it has absolutely nothing to do with you. And second… Christian? Seriously? I think they may have a surprise coming at the Pearly Gates.

GAY FORMER GOP CONGRESSMAN TO MARRY PARTNER

Arizona’s Jim Kolbe, out former republican congressman from Arizona, will marry his partner in Washington, DC. The Washington Blade reports:

Jim Kolbe, who represented Arizona in the U.S. House from 1985 to 2003, is set to marry Hector Alfonso, a Panamanian native who came to the United States on a Fulbright scholarship to pursue studies in special education and has been a teacher for two decades. The couple will marry at a private event at the Cosmos Club on Massachusetts Ave. in D.C. “Two decades ago, I could not have imagined such an event as this would be possible,” Kolbe told the Blade. “A decade ago I could not imagine that I would find someone I could be so compatible with that I would want to spend the rest of my life with that person. So, this is a very joyous day for both of us.”

Congratulations to the happy couple!

NEW COUNTRY SONG SUPPORTS MARRIAGE EQUALITY

The Huffington Post has the story of a new country song and video with a marriage equality theme:

Need a good country tune to hold you over until Dolly’s next album (or at least until the next episode of “Nashville”)? Then look no further than the new gay ditty “Two Men Who Do Si Do.” Written by Robert Gould and composed by Rob Arbelo, the song is accompanied by a cute animated video, courtesy of Alex Salsberg, and tells the story of two country boys who happen to like to dance together at the rodeo and hope to walk down the aisle together.

 

Article source: http://www.gayapolis.com/news/artdisplay-issues.php?artid=23627

Leaders of a statewide gay-rights advocacy group reminded a gathering in Fresno’s Tower District on Thursday that equality for the LGBT community goes far beyond legalizing same-sex marriage.

John O’Connor, executive director of Equality California, said the LGBT-rights group, which has advocated for legalizing same-sex marriage, is not a single-issue organization and is pushing to advance equality on many fronts for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

“The wind is at our backs and we need to get [same-sex] marriage out of the way to address other equality issues such as bullying, youth suicide, health care and discrimination,” he said.

O’Connor addressed numerous issues and let about 30 people who attended the Tower District forum know that LGBT-specific concerns, such as transgender and gender identity issues, are no longer neglected.

Several of the organization’s leaders also discussed new health insurance options through the Affordable Care Act, including Covered California, the statewide marketplace exchange for health insurance plans, and the expansion of Medi-Cal for low-income residents.

Article source: http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/05/16/3302798/lgbt-issues-go-beyond-marriage.html

WASHINGTON, May 16, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ – The National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA), a non-profit public-private partnership focused on helping all digital citizens stay safer and more secure online, today announced a new collaboration initiative with the LGBT Technology Partnership to encourage greater awareness about cybersecurity and safety issues for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender communities.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120911/DC71739LOGO)

The LGBT Technology Partnership works to provide a centralized, national presence for the many LGBT organizations and groups that are impacted by telecommunications, cable and technology policies. The organization also serves as a strong unified voice ensuring that policy implementation at the local, state and federal levels address the unique needs of the LGBT community.

While the NCSA has worked to educate all digital users about staying safe online for over a decade, the organization has increased its focus on more closely targeting specific populations with uniquely tailored awareness messages. This ongoing effort includes working with the LGBT Technology Partnership in creating an LGBT cyber education toolkit with fact sheets, tip sheets and posters that incorporate STOP. THINK. CONNECT. messaging.

The first tip sheet, “What LGBT Communities Should Know About Online Safety” is available at http://www.staysafeonline.org/stay-safe-online/resources/what-lgbt-communities-should-know-about-online-safety-tip-sheet. Both organizations will also hold a Twitter Chat about LGBT cyber safety issues on June 13^th in honor of Internet Safety Month and LGBT Pride Month. For more information, visit www.stopthinkconnect.org/twitterchats. More information about joint NCSA/LGBT Technology Partnership efforts is available at: http://lgbttechpartnership.org/about-us/supporters/.  

In addition to collaborating with the National Cyber Security Alliance, the LGBT Technology Partnership has also signed on as an official partner of STOP. THINK. CONNECT., the national cybersecurity education and awareness campaign. To learn more about the STOP. THINK. CONNECT. Partner program, visit: http://www.stopthinkconnect.org/get-involved/partner-program/

“The Internet pervades our daily lives like never before and for specific populations such as the LGBT community, the Web is an integral tool to stay connected,” said Michael Kaiser, executive director of the National Cyber Security Alliance.  “Everyone with access to the Internet should be well educated about the importance of online safety and we believe that education and awareness is best received when it comes from a trusted a source. Our collaboration with the LGBT Technology Partnership allows for the dissemination of online safety and security practices via an organization with strong ties to their community. Since the LGBT community typically ranks among the earliest adopters of new technologies, it is critical that they have cutting edge information to make them safer and more secure online.”

“We are excited about our partnership with National Cyber Security Alliance and developing LGBT specific tips about staying safer online,” said Christopher Wood, co-founder of the LGBT Technology Partnership.  “The LGBT Technology Partnership’s mission is to make sure LGBT communities are aware of the significant benefits but also the underlying challenges that come with the early adoption of new technologies.  We are working with organizations like NSCA to make technological experiences safer for all communities.”  

There is an increased need for ongoing cybersecurity education in LGBT communities through awareness initiatives. Past research has shown that an increased focus on cyber security awareness in the LGBT community is a necessity in a society where:

• 59 percent of gay men and 58 percent of lesbians are more likely to say they rely on technology to help manage their hectic lifestyles (“2012 LGBT Community Survey,” Community Marketing Inc.)
• 27 percent of gay men (mainly 18-29 year olds) and 18 percent of lesbians are early adopters of new technology products within their peer lifestyle networks (“2012 LGBT Community Survey,” Community Marketing Inc.)
• Smartphone ownership among gay and lesbian consumers is almost a third more than the national average, with 87 percent LGBT smartphone owners compared to a 62 percent national average of smartphone owners (“2012 LGBT Community Survey,” Community Marketing Inc.)

For more details about the new partnership or LGBT cyber education materials, visit: www.staysafeonline.org.   

About The National Cyber Security Alliance

The National Cyber Security Alliance is a non-profit organization. Through collaboration with the government, corporate, non-profit and academic sectors, the mission of the NCSA is to educate and empower a digital citizenry to use the Internet securely and safely protecting themselves and the technology they use and the digital assets we all share. NCSA board members include: ADP, ATT, Bank of America, Comcast, EMC Corporation, ESET, Facebook, Google, Intel, McAfee, Microsoft, PayPal, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), Symantec, Trend Micro, Verizon and Visa. Visit www.staysafeonline.org for more information and join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/staysafeonline.

About LGBT Technology Partnership
The LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) Technology Partnership encourages the continued early adoption and use of cutting-edge, new and emerging technologies by providing information, education and strategic outreach for LGBT communities. We are a national, nonpartisan group of LGBT organizations and high technology companies whose mission is to engage with critical technology and public policy leaders for strategic discussion at all levels. The Partnership ensures that cable, telecommunications and high technology issues of specific concern to LGBT communities are addressed in public policy conversations. Visit www.LGBTTechPartnership.org for additional information, follow us on Twitter @LGBTTech and like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LGBTTechPartnership. For press inquiries please call +1.703.594.9391 or visit www.LGBTTechPartnership.org/contact-us/press.

SOURCE National Cyber Security Alliance

Article source: http://news.yahoo.com/national-cyber-security-alliance-lgbt-technology-partnership-launch-120000184.html

Senator Dianne Feinstein (Photo: Jane Philomen Cleland)

LGBT activists stepped up their pressure on Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-California) today as they lobby the powerful lawmaker to back immigration rights for bi-national same-sex couples.

At San Francisco City Hall this morning (Thursday, May 16) local leaders held a rally prior to a Board of Supervisors hearing on the matter. Gay Supervisors David Campos (District 9) and Scott Wiener (D8) are asking their colleagues to back a resolution that calls on Congress to include pro-LGBT language in the comprehensive immigration reform bill now before them.

“We cannot have comprehensive immigration reform if LGBT families are left out of that process,� said Campos, who chaired the hearing before the board’s neighborhood services and safety committee.

Campos singled out Feinstein and asked her to support the changes bi-national same-sex couples need in order to live freely and together in the states.

“She has a history of supporting LGBT rights. It is time for her to demonstrate consistency with that history,� said Campos.

Straight Supervisors John Avalos (D11) and Board President David Chiu (D3) are co-sponsors of the resolution. District 7 Supervisor Norman Yee asked to be named a co-sponsor of the resolution and voted to send it on to the full board at the hearing.

“I agree that we need to make those amendments and am a supporter of that,� said Yee.

LGBT immigration activists and Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) are pressing to see that the Uniting American Families Act, which is designed to end discrimination of couples where one partner isn’t a U.S. citizen, be included in the final immigration reform bill sent to President Barack Obama, who has expressed support for the pro-LGBT language.

Leahy has sponsored the UAFA for more than a decade, and throughout that time, Feinstein has refused to co-sponsor the legislation. Earlier this month her spokesman Brian Weiss told the Bay Area Reporter that Feinstein is giving the UAFA language “serious thought.�

Several days later Politico reported Feinstein would support it under certain conditions, such as if it required gay couples to marry in the United States within 90 days in a state that allows same-sex unions.

“But I’m not for just accepting affidavits,� Feinstein reportedly said.

The comments raised concerns among LGBT immigration activists, as only a handful of states currently allow same-sex couples to marry.

“I’m glad that Senator Feinstein has finally pledged to support the inclusion of married, bi-national LGBT couples in the immigration reform bill, however, unless she also supports extending these same protections to couples in civil unions and domestic partnerships, many Californians will be left out,� stated Out4Immigration founder Amos Lim, who lives in San Francisco. “We want her to know that all LGBT families, including those who have been barred from marriage, should be included in the immigration reform bill.�

A number of couples impacted by the anti-gay immigration laws spoke out at the hearing this morning. Among them was Judy Rickard, a longtime outspoken immigration activist recently recognized by the White House. She applied for a green card for her wife, UK-born Karin Bogliolo, 72, in January 2012.

“It has not been denied but has been under further review for eight months now,� said Rickard, noting that she and her wife are unable to leave the country and are “prisoners of love� in the U.S.

Another speaker, Out4Immigration organizer Erik Schnabel, spoke about how he and his undocumented partner of 9 years, who is from the Philippines, have had to move and pick up their  lives several times due to the anti-gay immigration laws.

“We want to urge our senior Senator Feinstein to support the Leahy amendment and not only for married couples, but for people in domestic partnerships and civil unions,� he said. “California is not a marriage equality state.�

Following the hearing a number of activists then marched to Feinstein’s nearby offices to deliver to her a petition signed by more than 6,000 people urging her to back the UAFA amendments.

“Senator Feinstein’s decision to support an amendment that does not protect bi-national same-sex couples in California and other states that do not have marriage equality will put an undue financial burden on many LGBT couples who are unable to get married,� stated Felipe Sousa-Rodriguez of GetEqual. “The ability of same-sex families to stay together and be free from the fear of deportation should not be dependent on their paychecks or their ability to travel to another state.�

 

Article source: http://ebar.com/blogs/lgbt-activists-press-feinstein-on-immigration-reform/

Article source: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/05/16/lgbt-student-group-at-san-diego-state-university-renamed-queer-student-union/

SAN DIEGO – A college student group is changing its name to be more inclusive, but it has some wondering whether it’s politically correct.

Members of the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Student Union at San Diego State University are dropping the LGBTSU acronym and going by the Queer Student Union.

“We’re here and next year, we’re queer,� junior and president-elect Thomas Negron said

A move to be more inclusive, President Michael Manacop and Negron said “queer� is the easiest way to encompass all of the gender and sexual identities on campus without getting too wordy.

There’s a similar group at University of California, San Diego called the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer/Questioning Intersex Association [LGBTQIA].

“We decided instead of just adding letters, however many letters there are, we should just have an umbrella term,� Manacob said.

It may not be a seamless transition.

Some older faculty members expressed concerns over the name change when the story was first reported in the Daily Aztec.

“It doesn’t seem like something you’d want to be called,� sophomore Jake Neely said. “I was always taught not to use (certain) words and… that was definitely one of them that shouldn’t really be said in my house.�

“If they’re changing it themselves, then I don’t see a problem in it,� graduating senior Ashley Williams said.

Queer is commonly used to identify grass roots political campaigns and academic programs focusing on the LGBT community.

“We want people to talk about it,� Negron said. “We want people to be educated about the word. We want people to feel comfortable asking questions about it, because we don’t want people to feel that our organization is stigmatized in anyway.�

Article source: http://fox5sandiego.com/2013/05/15/lgbt-student-group-changes-name/

In Ventura County, there is a vulnerable population that is being underserved and underrepresented within the community. The lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community is struggling to find positive resources that cater to the specific needs of the population, in particular to youth of transitional ages (16-25). Over the recent years, California has made significant progress in addressing and highlighting the issues and the disadvantages that face the LGBT community, but there is still much more ground to gain. In a time when gay rights are such a hot topic in the public media and have become so common, youth are coming to terms with their orientation at a much younger age. Although they have reached a difficult level of self-acceptance and are ready to face the world comfortable in their own skins, the world may not be quite ready to receive them with open arms. One out of three LGBT youth will be kicked out of his or her home due to non-acceptance by a parent or guardian. It is believed that 25 percent of homeless youth on the streets are LGBT.

Ever since the closure of the Ventura County Rainbow Alliance in June of 2011, Ventura County has struggled to rebuild the important services that were once available to the LGBT population. The Ventura County Rainbow Alliance offered mental health services, free rapid HIV/AIDS testing, ran support groups for youth as well as adults, ran food pantries and encouraged positive community involvement; but most importantly, it provided a safe space for youth to interact among their peers without fear of judgment or ridicule. Since then, there have been no new programs developed to cater to the individual needs of LGBT youth. LGBT youth need to feel connected to something and to be a part of something great, especially those who have been displaced by their own families. Members of the LGBT community would much rather interact with someone with a lifestyle similar to theirs, particularly with those familiar with the coming-out process.

The struggles that questioning youth encounter throughout different stages of their lives are very unique and challenging. The coming-out process can be difficult, which is only the beginning of the social obstacles that one must overcome. Community resources are needed to support youth who are questioning their orientation; it can be a trying time for a young person. A minor relies solely on the guardian for basic needs and survival (food, water, shelter, clothing, health care, etc.); therefore, without that support, the youth does not have many options and could fall victim to a number of disparities possible disparities (homelessness, prostitution, substance abuse, self-injurious behavior, suicide). LGBT youth are in need of unique and tailored services to address the specific issues and struggles they face in the community. It seems that in order to receive services (financial assistance, access to food pantries, mental health services), the youth must belong to some at risk population or system (foster system, child welfare, probation), as if the struggles attached to sexual orientation were not enough.

LBGT youth are at high risk of discrimination and prejudices, and without proper support they can face true disadvantages in their lives. LGBT youth are looking for a place to belong; and without any positive resources or allies, it is easy for them to get lost and become susceptible to negative influences. It is extremely important to increase awareness about the lack of support services that are available to LGBT youth and to broadcast the need for them in Ventura County. Currently, there is no legislation or policy that protects the rights to access services and resources for the LGBT community; and even if there were, Ventura County has none available that caters to the very individualized and critical needs of the LGBT community. It would be beneficial to bring back the Ventura County Rainbow Alliance to the community because it provided a multitude of services, in one concentrated location, that were tailored to the LGBT community. It is important to reach out and show support for the community, maybe attend the local Ventura County Pride Weekend (August 23-25) at Mission Park in Ventura to gain some insight and knowledge on how to better support the LGBT community.  LGBT transitional-aged youth are in desperate need of support and resources in order to feel comfortable and safe with their orientation, as well as to develop positive networks that will assist them to live positive, healthy lives.

 

Article source: http://www.vcreporter.com/cms/story/detail/lgbt_youth_in_need_of_tailored_community_resources/10873/

LGBT students honored at UI’s 13th annual ‘Rainbow Graduation’

BY HILLARY ROSENCRANTS | MAY 15, 2013 5:00 AM

Twenty-five LGBTQ students were recognized at the University of Iowa’s 13th-annual Rainbow Graduation on Tuesday, and the community took the opportunity to honor the graduates and recent strides made at the UI.

Students were honored in the Old Capitol Senate Chamber with a brief description of their accomplishments, rainbow cords, and a handshake. Among the graduates were John Paul Horn, the student keynote speaker at the ceremony, and Jake Christensen, the 2013 recipient of the Catalyst Award.

Officials also announced several scholarships were also announced, including the UI’s 2013 recipients of the Matthew Shepard Scholarship, an Iowa-based scholarship that awards up to $40,000 to motivated LGBTQ students over the course of their education. Nadia Loeppke and Samuel Pitt won the awards at the UI this year.

Georgina Dodge, a recent recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award from her alma mater, University of California-Irvine, spoke about the future for the graduates.

“I remember how happy I was when I graduated, but I also remember feeling a little let down,� said Dodge, the UI’s chief diversity officer. “There’s always and inevitably some degree of regret as we move to one stage of our lives to another.�

One would never sense the regret based on the atmosphere of Rainbow Graduation, however — spirits were high as LGBTQ students and graduates performed both original piano compositions and a piece of performance poetry.

Christensen, in particular, was recognized for his achievements, having been at the forefront in the inclusion of sexual-identity and orientation questions in the UI’s admissions application.

“I would say that you should do your best to do something that matters to you,� Christensen said. “Be patient, and above all, be persistent.�

Christensen’s speech was followed by a speech from Kim Marra, a UI professor of American studies and theater.

Marra is particularly proud of the UI’s dedication to making LGBTQ students feel welcome.

“When LGBTQ people of my generation were going to college in the 1970s, a rainbow graduation was impossible — even unimaginable,� Marra said, who also faced extreme opposition from her mother when announcing her sexuality.

The UI has long been recognized for its acceptance of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities, pioneering a human-rights policy that recognizes gender identity and sexual orientation as protected categories.

Likewise, the university received widespread media attention for its 1992 hiring of Pat Cain and Jean Love, a high-profile lesbian couple, as professors at the law school.

Horn, who moved to the UI for college after growing up in Bakersfield, Calif., found that acceptance has been much more widespread in Iowa.

“I was tired of feeling like I had to live two separate lives — young professional me and gay me,� Horn said. “I’ve never felt like I had to hide part of myself here.�

In today’s issue:

Article source: http://www.dailyiowan.com/2013/05/15/Metro/33352.html

A group of Toronto city councillors will file a motion on 28 May to cut the grant to Toronto LGBT Pride unless the organisers agree to ban the participation of a pro-Palestinian activist group, Queers Against Israeli Apartheid (QuAIA). They also want to ban the use of the phrase ‘Israeli apartheid’.

The funding cut of $123,807 would jeopardise the future of Toronto Pride, just four week’s before the annual one million-strong downtown parade and a year before it is due to host the global lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) festival, WorldPride 2014.

According to Toronto journalist Andrea Houston, the move to withdraw city money from Toronto Pride is being spearheaded by councillors David Shiner and James Pasternak – the latter is seeking to have the phrase “Israeli apartheidâ€� banned.

This proposed ban is supported by Anita Bromberg, from the Jewish human rights organisation, B’nai Brith. She added that there is no place for such language because Pride is not political: “This is a city-wide celebration. I am deeply offended.”  

Francisco Alvarez, co-chair of Pride Toronto, says Pasternak and his colleagues are wrong to suggest that by allowing QuAIA to participate in the parade they are endorsing its viewpoint and should face financial penalisation.

“That is just not true,â€� he says. “We do not hold any view with regard to the Israel/Palestine conflict at all. We simply provide a platform for groups that are organized within our community to express their views, as long as they conform with the laws of the land … It sounds to me that, since we won’t reject QuAIA, [Pasternak] is making a link that we are supporting their perspective. We support them as a community group. We support other groups as well.â€�

Another councillor, Frank Di Giorgio, told Canada’s leading LGBT news magazine, Xtra!, that the dispute is one of “competing rights.�

“The message that [QuAIA] sends out … I believe in protecting rights, but I draw the line when you start protecting one right that infringes on another right. Then you have to look at it in closer detail … I suspect we will try and use sanctions if we have to, like, for example, not providing funding if they don’t fall in line.â€�

The co-chair of Queer Ontario, Nick Mulé, believes councillors Di Giorgio and Pasternak are more interested in censorship opinions than protecting rights. It’s inaccurate to describe the dispute as one of “competing rights,� he argues, because the right to religious freedom doesn’t mean the right to suppress other people’s viewpoints.

“They are trying to shut down dialogue and infringe on freedom of expression,� he says. “QuAIA is not a people-hating group. Their message is a critical analysis of political policy. If we don’t have the freedom to critique policy, then we are really in trouble as a society.�

I agree. I am amazed that in a supposedly liberal democracy like Canada the country’s main Pride parade can be threatened with the removal of city funding because some councillors disagree with one organisation and one slogan.

Their demand for a ban is straightforward censorship. It’s a direct attack on free speech and the right to protest – and, some people might say, borderline blackmail.

Pride parades should be open to all individuals and organisations that support LGBT human rights. There should be no political vetting, unless the participants are homophobic, incite violence or oppose the human rights of others.

Lots of people may disagree with QuAIA and even find their rhetoric offensive. But in a democracy they have as much right to free speech as pro-Israeli groups. The main issue is not whether QuAIA is justified in its criticisms of Israeli policy but whether it has a right to freedom of expression.

QuAIA does not support violence against Jews or Israelis. It is merely protesting against the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories and the abusive, humiliating subjugation of the Palestinian people by Israeli soldiers and extremist settlers. This occupation and mistreatment hurts both straight and LGBT Palestinians, which makes it a legitimate concern for LGBT people everywhere who care for universal human rights.

I was proud to march with Queers Against Israeli Apartheid in the 2011 New York LGBT Pride parade. I found them passionate, idealistic and humanitarian. There were no anti-Semitic chants. They want a homeland for the Palestinians. They support a just cause: the human rights of LGBT and straight Palestinians.

Although many people find the apartheid accusation offensive, in the occupied territories Israel has an apartheid-style system of separate settlements and separate roads for Jews and non-Jews. Palestinians have their own segregated check-points and border-crossings, plus a separation wall which, whatever its supposed justification, divides two peoples based primarily on their ethnicity.

While pro-Israelis reject the apartheid analogy, it has been echoed by the Nobel peace laureate, Archbishop Desmond Tutu. He says the Israeli system in the occupied territories segregates two peoples and involves many different laws that discriminate against Palestinians, either by intention or default.

Some people question why the fate of the Palestinians concerns me. Well, I am a human rights defender who believes in the principle of universal human rights. To me, human rights are for everyone, including Israelis and Palestinians, whether gay or straight.

Human rights are about more than gay rights. I am not a gayist. I never judge any government or people solely on their stance on LGBT issues. It is important to consider all aspects of human tights, not just gay ones. By any standards, LGBT and straight Palestinians are being denied human rights by Israel, as well as by their own regimes.

Israel is gay-friendly. Very commendably, it has good equality laws for LGBT people: the best in the Middle East. Indeed, vastly better than the surrounding homophobic Arab tyrannies.

But there is a downside too. Although Israel likes to use its gay rights record to project a liberal image to the outside world, it refuses asylum to Palestinians fleeing homophobic and transphobic persecution.

The truth is that Israel’s LGBT-friendly democracy is, to a considerable extent, based on the conquest of the Palestinian people. No amount of progressive LGBT policies can justify Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories, the building of illegal new settlements and the on-going seizure of Palestinian farms and houses. Moreover, some of the victims of these Israeli expropriations are gay Palestinians.

LGBT equality in a society based on the dispossession of the Palestinian people is not true liberation; it colludes with oppression. Queers Against Israeli Apartheid are right to expose the tainted rainbow flag that flies over Israel.

Peter Tatchell was a founding member of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (UK) in 1982. He has repeatedly condemned human rights abuses by Israel and the Palestinians, particularly by the Hamas regime in Gaza. More information about his human rights campaigns: www.PeterTatchell.net

Article source: http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2013/05/israel-row-bid-defund-toronto-lgbt-pride-straightforward-censorship

CHICAGO, May 15, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — According to recent research, gay males and lesbians place different levels of importance on gay-oriented marketing activities. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people are vulnerable to pervasive discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodation, education, and medical care due to a lack of legal protection. In contrast to the public sphere, over the past decade, many corporations have shown an increasing willingness to move ahead of public policy in affording equal rights to LGBT employees. In additional to creating internal corporate policies that seek to avoid discrimination and provide equal benefits for LGBT employees, many corporations have recognized the attractiveness of the LGBT population as a consumer market and spend billions of dollars each year targeting members of the LGBT population in the marketplace.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20111102/DC96044LOGO)

The LGBT consumer marketing is currently estimated to have an overall buying power of over $835 billion. While corporations can be quickly labeled as pursuing the “gay dollar,” the social visibility gained from corporate attention may be seen by some LGBT individuals as pivotal to the fight for societal rights. Hence, many LGBT consumers embrace the power of their spending by rewarding companies that are considered “gay-friendly” in terms of their corporate policies and their marketing activities. The most commonly employed “gay-friendly” activities include the provision of domestic partner benefits, corporate financial support of gay causes, company identification as gay-friendly in its marketing communications, and advertising in both gay and mainstream media. 

However, despite some ardent claims from agencies specializing in reaching the LGBT consumer of the efficacy of “gay-friendly” corporate activities, to date, the topic has received little attention in the academic literature. As a result, companies that are interested in targeting LGBT consumers have little to guide their expenditure decisions among a variety of gay-oriented corporate activities, both internal and external. Given the noteworthy amount that corporations are spending on LGBT promotional activity, this research is designed to clarify the relative value of such expenditures to gay consumers when assessing a company’s gay-friendliness. The analysis appears in the Spring 2013 special issue of the American Marketing Association‘s Journal of Public Policy and Marketing
.

According to author Gillian Oakenfull, Associate Professor of Marketing at Miami University, this research identifies important market differences between gay males and lesbians, based on demographics and social identity, that can better inform corporations’ promotional expenditure and segmentation decisions when approaching the gay consumer market.

The findings of this research suggest that it is important that companies avoid a treatment of gay consumers as a group with monolithic preferences and perceptions. An individual’s sex and identity with the gay community have a significant impact on perceptions of the gay-friendliness of various corporate activities.

About the AMA

About the American Marketing Association:
The American Marketing Association (AMA) is the professional association for individuals and organizations who are leading the practice, teaching, and development of marketing worldwide. Learn more at marketingpower.com.

Contact: Gillian Oakenfull – jppm@ama.org, 312.542.9029

SOURCE American Marketing Association

Article source: http://news.yahoo.com/lgbt-consumers-look-companies-fill-void-public-policy-140700109.html

Sexual minorities in Moldova start today the Festival “Rainbow over the Dniester”. The event will be organized during six days and will conclude with a parade of the LGBT community.

The festival of the LGBT community aroused dissatisfaction of church representatives. The Bishop of Balti and Falesti Markel called on Christians and priests to participate in a counter-action.

The Moldovan Metropolitan Church condemns the events organized by the LGBT community. A press release states that all peaceful and legal means to stand against the indecent behavior will be used.
 

Moldova.ORG

Article source: http://social.moldova.org/news/lgbt-festival-rainbow-over-nistru-starts-today-236828-eng.html

Falmouth High School student Saer McCliment is one of six recipients of the 2013 Elsie Frank Scholarship Award from Greater Boston PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) for her work on LGBT issues. Here, she speaks with The Bulletin.

 

Describe your coming out experience at Falmouth High School and how you were received by both your peers and educators.

While I’ve been openly queer for years, I came out as transgender in the eleventh grade. I went to my GSA advisor, Mrs. Thompson, and asked her to email my teachers and inform them of my pronoun and name change to Saer. It went better than I ever could have expected; my teachers were incredibly accepting and accommodating. I was more nervous about my peers’ reaction, but I was surprised when even the people I had a history of not getting on well with accepted me and respected my transgender status.

 

How have you helped create greater support and acceptance of LGBT youth?

 

I’ve been actively involved with my school’s Gay-Straight Alliance for three years, and have worked with other local LGBT advocacy groups in fundraising and awareness endeavors. Earlier in the year, I spoke to seventh-graders about my experiences as a queer and transgender student, which was incredibly rewarding. I also run a blog dedicated to LGBT resources and advocacy.

 

What do you see as the greatest issues facing LGBT youth today?

 

I don’t really think LGBT identities can be grouped for having any one sole issue, and I say this from having come out as both LGB and T. I was far more scared to come out as transgender than I was to come out as queer, because there’s more stigma surrounding transgender issues than there is around queer issues. In recent years, there’s been several successful pushes for the inclusion and acceptance of non-heterosexual orientations, so the LGB community has come a great way. There simply hasn’t been the same level of acceptance for transgender identities, and the fact that the transgender community has been left behind is what I view as the greatest problem today. I hope that this is something that I personally can help rectify through more public outreach and education.

 

What would you like to say the person who is still struggling with his or her sexual orientation?

 

To someone struggling with labeling their sexuality, I would tell them that there’s no rush. In this society, there’s a lot of pressure to know who you are as soon as possible, to be able to put a name to everything about yourself. You don’t need to know exactly what the term for your orientation is right away; you can be undecided for as long as you want, or try out a few terms and just see how they fit. Your orientation cannot be judged or defined by anyone but you, and you only need a label if you want one.

Article source: http://www.wickedlocal.com/falmouth/news/x438179900/Meet-Falmouth-LGBT-student-activist-Saer-McCliment?rssfeed=true

RightWingWatch reports that Mission America’s conservative radio show host Linda Harvey is claiming LGBT news sites and blogs “that are sympathetic to the social and political goals of the homosexual movement� can deceive children into thinking they are gay.

In her latest program, she warned parents that “homosexual-themed pornography is extremely accessible to young people if they ever visit any websites covering the gay agenda as newsâ€� and “if they … visit these sites some will experience sexual feelings and mistake these for the pervasive fiction of some inborn gay identity.â€�

In a classic case of antigay fearmongering, Harvey also claimed “Hollywood and even the top leaders in our country are all busy selling homosexuality to kids� and this message has the ability to “stir feelings in a young person that were not in play before.�

Listen to Harvey’s commentary on the dangers of LGBT news sites in the clip below.

Full transcript via RightWingWatch:

   I’ve gotten calls over the years from parents who are brokenhearted because a young son or daughter has revealed a homosexual preference. My role is not to be a psychologist but I try to share some resources with parents who are coping with such a tough situation and they often share with me that pornography played a part, particularly with boys, in convincing them to believe they are gay. But usually by the time this comes out the feelings and fantasies have been nurtured for years. It seems to me that in the present climate where schools, Hollywood and even the top leaders in our country are all busy selling homosexuality to kids that we have to watch those other deceptive influences that can chime in on top of all this to stir feelings in a young person that were not in play before.
  
Internet pornography can be the kerosene on an already simmering fire of adolescent hormones and confusion, and these feelings can bring them to precisely the wrong conclusion. Manipulating feelings in the wrong direction is what pornography does anyway. Homosexual-themed pornography is extremely accessible to young people if they ever visit any websites covering the gay agenda as news. For instance, if your child was during a report on same-sex marriage just researching the political issue and visiting sites that are sympathetic to the social and political goals of the homosexual movement may quickly bring them in touch with explicit images because many of the homosexual news blogs have soft-porn gay dating sites or worse as ads. So what is the reaction of your son or daughter to such graphic images?

If they feel a curiosity it may start a process of wondering if they could be homosexual. This is not true of course but the really tragic thing is they are not likely to share this question with you the parent, it just seems too personal. If they follow up and visit these sites some will experience sexual feelings and mistake these for the pervasive fiction of some inborn gay identity. After all, isn’t this the message that kids get everywhere that ‘some of you are destined for homosexuality and there is nothing you can do about it so just go with it and be proud’? All of this, of course, is a lie. Adolescents will feel sexual feelings because they are in puberty and erotic images can evoke in an often unhealthy way a human sexual response. 

Article source: http://www.advocate.com/politics/2013/05/13/linda-harvey-claims-lgbt-news-sites-make-kids-gay

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May 13, 2013

Article source: http://www.gayapolis.com/news/artdisplay-issues.php?artid=23546

LGBT activists said Monday that St. Petersburg authorities have sanctioned a gay rights rally, despite the city’s highly publicized law against “homosexual propaganda.”

Activists with the Vykhod organization said in a statement that the rally would be held on May 17 on the central Field of Mars park to mark the International Day Against Homophobia. On May 17, 1990, the World Heath Organization officially excluded homosexuality from its list of psychiatric illnesses.

“We think that it’s especially important to remind [people] that homosexuality is a perfectly normal sexual orientation,” Vykhod activist Olga Lenkova said in the statement posted on the organization’s website.

St. Petersburg officials had not confirmed that the rally had been sanctioned as of early Monday afternoon. In February 2012, the city’s legislature passed a bill imposing fines for promoting homosexual behavior among minors that was subsequently censured by international stars and foreign governments.

A federal bill to the same effect is soon to be heard in a second reading after being overwhelmingly passed in January.

Every year since 2006, Moscow authorities have refused permission for LGBT activists to hold a gay pride parade.

On Monday, activists applied for official permission to hold their parade on May 25, saying they would take to the streets irrespective of whether authorities grant permission.

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• Russia’s Fertile Grounds for Homophobia

Article source: http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/st-pete-officials-sanction-gay-rights-rally-activists-say/479822.html

The end of the week produced a laundry list of canceled TV shows, getting rid of several LGBT characters from the major networks.

In addition to New Normal and Happy Endings being canceled, as reported Friday, NBC has canceled the comedy Go On, as well as musical drama Smash. On ABC, Malibu Country which co-starred Lily Tomlin, will not be coming back for another season.

Other shows like ABC’s Don’t Trust The B—– in Apt. 23, created by openly gay writer Nahnatchka Kahn, and The CW’s 90210, Emily Owens, M.D., and The L.A. Complex were also canceled this year.  Long-running NBC comedy The Office, will air its season finale May 16.

This season’s record number of LGBT characters, which is tallied annually by GLAAD, may be markedly reduced depending on the approximately 40 shows that have been picked up across the networks for this fall. A poll by the Hollywood Reporter in November showed that the high number of gay characters on television has helped make LGBT issues more acceptable to mainstream television viewers.

Actor and GLAAD spokesman Wilson Cruz told The Hollywood Reporter it’s in the networks’ best interest to continue to greenlight shows with LGBT characters.

“The sheer number of characters who will no longer be on the air means diversity on television is once again at risk,” Cruz said. “Following a season with the highest recorded number of LGBT characters, these cancellations mean networks have to make a concerted effort to ensure the 2013-2014 season truly reflects the diversity of their audience.”

Article source: http://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/television/2013/05/12/tv-several-lgbt-characters-missing-next-season

LONDON, May 11 (Reuters) – Manchester City 0 Wigan Athletic 1 – FA Cup final result at Wembley Stadium Scorer: Ben Watson 90 Red card: Pablo Zabaleta, Manchester City 84th Halftime: 0-0; Att: 86,254 Lineups: Manchester City: 1-Joe Hart; 5-Pablo Zabaleta, 33-Matija Nastasic, 4-Vincent Kompany, 22-Gael Clichy; 21-David Silva, 42-Yaya Toure; 18-Gareth Barry (10-Edin Dzeko 90+1), 32-Carlos Tevez (17-Jack Rodwell 69), 8-Samir Nasri (7-James Milner 54), 16-Sergio Aguero Wigan Athletic: 1-Joel Robles; 17-Emmerson Boyce, 3-Antolin Alcaraz, 33-Paul Scharner, 18-Roger Espinoza; 16-James McArthur, …

Article source: http://news.yahoo.com/why-anti-lgbt-legislators-fear-moms-video-002739387.html

Article source: http://www.scotsman.com/trade-union-hosts-lgbt-meeting-in-glasgow-1-2926377

Thom Cardwell, a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender advocate and activist, was the keynote speaker May 9 as a part of Pride Week, hosted by Drexel’s Foundation of Undergraduates for Sexual Equality. Cardwell visited Drexel to share his life story and experience working in QFest and LGBT media.

Cardwell introduced the latest project that he is working on with his partner, James Duggan, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first organized gay protest in the United States. The project, which will launch in 2015, will focus on the evolution of LGBT movements in Philadelphia from the beginning to the present day.

The exhibit will have a supplementary book to accompany it. Currently, Cardwell and Duggan are looking for curators, writers and artists to volunteer and assist with the project. Pictures, personal narratives and articles from the LGBT movement will be used to demonstrate the progress made over the last 50 years.

“The LGBT Civil Rights Movement … started in the City of Brotherly Love and sisterly affection in the cradle of liberty,� Cardwell said. “We’ll also be very responsive … because in our country, in the corporate world in Philadelphia, there are a lot of corporations that have LGBT employee groups such as TD Bank, Comcast, GlaxoSmithKline, etc.�

Cardwell also brought up the issue of different cultures within schools. He said, “A number of years ago, I spoke at the first Pride Day at Community College of Philadelphia, and I didn’t know that much about the school. Two faculty came to me and told me they weren’t out as school professors. They didn’t feel comfortable enough in the environment.�

From that perspective, Cardwell asked the students how comfortable they feel in the LGBT community at Drexel and if the school is LGBT friendly.

Kate Wisniewski, a sophomore majoring in electrical engineering, said that the engineering school is dominated by straight males. “Going off is not great; it’s not terrible, either.�

Maureen Nolan, a junior studying communication and the president of FUSE, said, “Our community at Drexel is phenomenal, very progressive, I think.� She introduced that there is an LGBTQA professional staff network at Drexel and the I-Forum for people with diverse backgrounds.

To add on to that, Kenny Wittwer, a sophomore sociology major at Temple University and a former Drexel student, said, “There’s a big disconnect between how progressive our community is — and how intersectional and inclusive of all identities it is -—versus Drexel’s University policies, which haven’t quite caught up. FUSE is really the only resource for queer students.�

As a 68-year-old LGBT activist who has witnessed changes in the LGBT rights movement, Cardwell brought his concern of prejudice and mentoring to the table: “If we were going to become mentors, what would you want from us? What can we do?�

“I honestly think that the whole concept of mentoring is … not something I’m familiar with or really ever had,� Wittwer said.

Wittwer said he hopes to learn from other generations “so that this generation won’t make the same mistakes that the previous generation has made or just to make sure we are on the right path.�

“I think the further I progress in my career or whatever path I choose to take, being out and proud is something that I will do,� Nolan said.

Along that line, Rebecca Reyman, a senior studying civil engineering, wanted to learn from the experience of older mentors. “The biggest part that a mentor could give this new generation would be just stories or experience,� she said.

Cardwell shared the challenge of himself coming out. In an interview with a magazine, a journalist asked when he knew he was gay. “Five years old and I really felt that [be]cause I always felt different when I was growing up,� he said.

He was officially out at the age of 15. At that time, Cardwell was on a bandstand in a boys’ school in Delaware County, Pa., and dancing was not much of a masculine activity. Therefore, people started spreading rumors, and Cardwell received negative reactions and was bullied by peers.

“So then I just finally told people, ‘Yeah, I am. What’s the big deal?’� Cardwell admitted it was a very difficult lifestyle to lead.

Cardwell recounted how being gay in college meant he was “underground.� In Philadelphia back then, LGBT dance clubs and bars were hidden.

Cardwell decided to pursue his graduate education in Manhattan in the mid-1960s. “I knew I could be out in New York,� he said.

He followed a career path in education and got a job as an assistant headmaster of a private boarding school in New Hampshire.

“Then I had to go back in the closet, and I had two lives. When I was at the school, I was ‘flamboyant,’ as people said,� Cardwell said. But when he was not at school, he had his true identity. “[It was] a bit challenging to deal with when I think about it now,� he said.

After 12 years he left the boarding school and worked at a day school in central New Jersey, where he was able to come out to those around him. The head of that middle school decided to repaint teachers’ homerooms, and they painted Cardwell’s room lavender.

“That was how I came out at my school, at least to the administration. I looked at [my room] fondly.�

Cardwell is serving as the publisher and editor-at-large at QUEERtimes.net, a nonprofit news website about LGBT topics, and he is the developmental director at the Philadelphia Cinema Alliance. He also produces QFest, the Philadelphia International Gay Lesbian Film Festival, and works on pride events in festivals in various cities.

Related posts:

1. Publisher and activist speaks at FUSE mixer
2. Website launches on LGBT sports issues
3. Film speaks for Drill monkeys
4. Queerview | Are we “playing the victim�?
5. Activist aims to reduce global hunger

Article source: http://thetriangle.org/2013/05/10/lgbt-activist-speaks-at-pride-week/

Cuban LGBT activist confronted homophobia on two shores

Ada Bello holds a photograph of herself and fellow pioneers in the fight for LGBT rights. They stand at the Historical plaque marking the first protests for this cause, which started in Philadelphia in 1966. Photo: David Cruz/AL D�A

PHILADELPHIA — For Ada Bello, a 79-year-old LGBT rights activist, growing up on the island of Cuba was “terribleâ€� due to the risk of being identified as a lesbian. So in 1959, when Bello was in her 20s, she emigrated to the United States, where she became one of the early pioneers of the LGBT rights movement in Philadelphia.

“Your behavior was enough for them [the Cuban government] to take legal action against you,� said Bello, remembering her youth on the island. “Even though men were the most affected, women had less freedom.�

The consequences of being identified as a lesbian in Cuba were serious.  For some families, it was an affront to their honor strangement.

“I didn’t feel any remorse for being a lesbian, but I knew I was going to have to live my life in the shadows,� Bello said. “So I decided the only solution was to leave the country.�

In Cuba, Bello knew two or three other gay women. At least she thought they were gay, “because in many cases they wouldn’t even confide in each other, out of fear� – no doubt a scenario that is difficult to imagine today. 

As a young woman, Bello moved from Matanzas, a town where everyone knew each other and gossiped, to Havana.  She soon discovered that the university community there was just as small as the city where she grew up.

Just before the revolution, in the midst of conflicts between students in Havana and the police, the university shut its doors. When Fidel Castro assumed power shortly thereafter, it didn’t make much of a difference for her or for other gay people on the island – at least at first.

“But then they started to persecute people they considered to be a threat to society,� said Bello. “That included homosexuals.�

Those who were identified in the raids were confined to labor camps.

“When the world learned this was happening, there was a lot of pressure on the Cuban government,� said Bello, recalling the impact of the Spanish documentary “Improper Conduct� had; it exposed the persecution of homosexuals and intellectuals in Castro’s Cuba during the beginning of the Cuban revolution. 

“That was a very important moment. The practice started to change,� said Bello.

By then, Bello had already left Cuba and was attending college in the United States. At that time, getting accepted at an American university was reason enough to be allowed to leave the island.

“When I got to Louisiana I found I had a lot more freedom because no one knew me, and I had a lot more privacy than I did with my family in Cuba,� said Bello. “I was near New Orleans, a big city with gay and lesbian bars.�

After graduating with a major in chemistry, she went to work, always being discreet, afraid that if she were discovered she could lose her job.

The American South, which at first had offered her so much freedom, eventually seemed too small for her and in 1962 she moved to Philadelphia, where she would become a true pioneer in the movement for gay rights. 

In the City of Brotherly Love, Bello was a founding member in 1967 of the local chapter of the organization known as Daughters of Bilitis (DOB), which led a year later to the creation of the Homophile Action League (HAL).

“We held peaceful protests against the raids the police were conducting on gay and lesbian bars. They were arresting the customers at night and weren’t letting them go until the morning,� said Bello. “We challenged the police and they realized that there was a group of people that was watching what they were doing and they couldn’t just act unjustly.�

From 1966 to 1968, on the Fourth of July in front of Independence Hall, the first demonstrations for the rights of the LGBT community were held in Philadelphia. Bello participated in the last of these.

A year later the Stonewall riots broke out in New York, a series of violent demonstrations by the gay community against police raids, considered to be the most important events that led to the LGBT liberation movement and the struggle for gay rights.

After helping to organize the first gay rights march in the Big Apple in 1970, HAL organized LGBT conferences until the organization disbanded in 1972. 

“After Stonewall, the methodology was different. It was no longer a question of covert action, but of integrating into the political process, and that required another type of structure,� said Bello.

She later joined different organizations in Philadelphia, such as the William Way Center and the Philadelphia Lesbian and Gay Task Force — which was responsible for the inclusion of the protection of homosexuals in a local ordinance in 1983. It previously protected only against discrimination based on race or religion.

Today, one of the streets where police used to carry out raids on the LGBT community in Philadelphia is named after Barbara Gittings, one of the activists Bello worked with in the struggle.

Bello later shifted her focus to her career, but she didn’t give up her activism.

“When I came to the United States from Cuba, I thought I had arrived in paradise, that I’d found a lot of freedom,� Bello said. “Then I saw all the battles that had to be fought, and that led me to activism.�

Although there is still a long way to go toward equality for the civil rights of the LGBT community, Bello believes that in her 79 years she has seen major changes both in the United States and in her native Cuba.

“In those days, it seemed like it was going to take an eternity, but the speed of the change has been incredible,� Bello said. “Back then we were fighting because they considered us criminals. Now we are fighting for marriage equality, and we have to keep fighting so we don’t return to the past.�

*This article was translated from it’s Spanish version, “Luchando en el paraíso por los derechos LGBT”, by Elena Shore, from New America Media.

Article source: http://www.pontealdia.com/primer-plano/fighting-for-lgbt-rights-in-paradise.html

A group representing gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender young people in New Orleans delivered a letter to NOPD Superintendent Ronal Serpas on Thursday asking him to hold a public meeting regarding changes to the Police Department’s “stop and frisk” policies. The group, Break Out, claims the NOPD’s draft LGBT policy does not go far enough.

Break Out director Wesley Ware said the draft policy — which the NOPD gave to Break Out on the condition that it would not be made public — does not provide a way to track bias-based stops or community complaints.

Ware said the group is also unhappy that the draft policy lacks specific training requirements for officers on LGBT issues and has not yet been shared with the local independent police monitor or the U.S. Department of Justice, which has criticized the NOPD’s tactics as biased. The NOPD’s pending consent decree with the DOJ mandates reforms to ensure constitutional policing.

“Discriminatory policing practices affect young black men riding their bikes through the 4th District, undocumented Latino workers driving home down Elysian Fields, black transgender women walking to the store on Broad Street, and so many more New Orleanians,” Break Out wrote in the letter to Serpas.

Before delivering the letter, Break Out and members of other groups held a protest outside NOPD headquarters. About 75 people took part, the groups said.

Remi Braden, an NOPD spokeswoman, said she had not read the letter to Serpas but that the department is open to holding a meeting with the group.

“We would hope that your organization will continue to work with our policy development team and the City Attorney’s Office in our common goal of developing a model LGBT strategy,” Serpas wrote in a May 6 letter to Break Out.

Article source: http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2013/05/lgbt_group_urges_public_meetin.html

The Wisconsin LGBT Chamber of Commerce will hold its Madison area launch event at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Plan B nightclub, 924 Williamson St.

The event will include remarks from the organization’s executive director, Jason Rae.

The Wisconsin LGBT Chamber is an organization of LGBT-owned and allied businesses, corporations and professionals that offers networking opportunities, business development efforts within the LGBT community and educational programming to its members.

Article source: http://host.madison.com/business/d8278c3c-44c4-582e-aaec-a44d7c3f93ce.html

SAN DIEGO (CBS – LGBT students at San Diego State University that are about to graduate celebrated early Wednesday at a special Lavender Graduation on campus.

More than 30 students were honored during the ceremony.

SDSU Women’s Studies Professor Susan Cayleff explains why the university holds a Lavender Graduation for LGBT students:

“Because too often at their important life moments, LGBT people cannot be out with their families. And so at a very critical moment in life when you want to be celebrating, there’s a sense of hiding. So this event actually lets people be celebrated as wonderful whole people.”

Students taking part in Wednesday’s event will also participate in regular commencement ceremonies next week.

Article source: http://www.cbs8.com/story/22210539/lavender-graduation-celebrates-sdsu-lgbt-students

9 May 2013 | By Emily Twinch

Two lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender homelessness charities merged yesterday to offer accommodation across the north and London.

The Albert Kennedy Trust and Outpost Housing say together they can ‘help meet rising demand and sustain vital services for young people’.

Outpost will now be named AKT Outpost and will continue to operate in the north east for LGBT young people at risk of homelessness.

The AKT will continue to offer a range of services, including supported lodgings and other specialist housing schemes to LGBT young people, in the north west and London.

AKT chief executive Tim Sigsworth said: ‘AKT and Outpost have a lot in common and by coming together we hope to continue and enhance the level of help and support that LGBT young people at risk of homelessness receive across the north east, north west and in London.

‘Despite ten years of progressive legislation which has enabled young LGBT people to feel more confident to come out at an early age – the reality is that when they do they are still greeted with the same level of homophobia, biphobia and transphobia at home or school experienced 24 years ago when AKT was established by foster carer Cath Hall.’

He said the charity was now seeing a 30 per cent increase in demand for its services across the country.

‘By sharing our knowledge, expertise and some of our running costs with Outpost we can ensure every penny possible goes directly to support the growing numbers of young people who need our help,’ he added.

Chair of Outpost Housing Jim McElderry said: ‘Outpost has received tremendous support in recent years from local funders such as Newcastle Council and the Northern Rock Foundation but we know if we are going to be able to protect and develop housing support services for LGBT young people in the north east we need to do more. 

‘This merger opens up new funding opportunities for us and means we can now be part of a national campaign for LGBT young people without losing our local identity.’

Article source: http://www.insidehousing.co.uk/care/lgbt-charities-merge-to-improve-services/6526880.article

Today, Here TV unveiled its all new YouTube paid subscription channel which allows viewers around the world to access 100 episodes of original programming (with more being added each month) anywhere, anytime, in high definition through TVs, computers and mobile devices for a monthly or yearly subscription fee.

This year also marks the tenth anniversary of the groundbreaking gay television network Here TV (which is owned by Here Media, the parent company of The Advocate).  In that decade, Here TV not only featured contemporary LGBT films and documentaries but also created some great original scripted and reality TV programming with its own uniquely queer and trans sensibilities. So to celebrate their decade of LGBT-focused work, we rounded up ten Here TV shows that best reflect the network’s finest programming and diversity — both in terms of LGBT people and the many styles through which we confront our shared experiences. 

1. Dante’s Cove  

Although we’ve seen a number of queer horror films released over the years, we’d never seen an entire LGBT horror television series before the 2005 premiere of Dante’s Cove.

While the show primarily focuses on Kevin and Toby — a young couple who find themselves imperiled by the island’s dark forces — it also featured an entire cast of lesbian, gay, and bisexual characters (many played by fan favorites Jenny Shimizu, Thea Gill, Erin Cummings, Michelle Wolff and Tracy Scoggins ). There’s unabashed love scenes between boys and between girls (think full-frontal) and an evolving storyline that took on witchy ways of life long before American Horror Story: Coven, gaining it a devoted fanbase who still clamor for the show to return. (Hint: Rumors have continued to swirl that there may be a sixth season coming up still.)

Below you can watch the trailer for Dante’s Cove season one:

Below you can watch the trailer for Dante’s Cove season three:

Article source: http://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/television/2013/05/09/watch-10-here-tv-shows-changed-our-view-lgbt-life

MOSCOW, May 8 (RIA Novosti) – St. Petersburg prosecutors have notified an international LGBT film festival, Side by Side, that they are violating Russia’s law on “foreign agents,â€� the event’s organizers said on Wednesday.

Russia passed a law last November requiring all NGOs engaged in political activity, and receiving finance from abroad, to register as a “foreign agent.” Critics say the term has overtones of spying and treason to many Russians, an allegation rejected by the law’s author, United Russia lawmaker Alexander Sidyakin.

“On 6th May, 2013, the Side by Side LGBT Film Festival, received a ruling from the local prosecutor accusing the organization of violating Article 19.7 of the administrative code relating to the conduct of non-commercial organizations and their status as ‘foreign agents’,� reads an English-language statement posted on the festival’s website.

It says the Side by Side LGBT Film Festival offices were visited by inspectors from various Russian institutions, including the Ministry of Justice, tax service and police in recent weeks. The inspections were carried out as part of nationwide checks into various NGOs.

After the checks, the prosecutors decided that the organization had violated the law on two occasions: by publishing a brochure “The Worldwide LGBT Movement: Local Practices to Global Politics� and by taking part in a social awareness campaign against the recently adopted bill banning “gay propaganda� among minors.

Festival organizer Gulya Sultanova said the prosecutors’ notification was compiled with numerous irregularities.

“Clearly, the document was put together quickly and carelessly and there are glaring errors in regards to dates mentioned – this is a very important moment. They are focusing on content and citing activities that were made prior to 21 November, 2012 when the law concerning ‘foreign agents’ actually came into force,â€� the statement quotes the organizer as saying.

A magistrates’ court is to hear the case in late May.

 

Article source: http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/860/f/517308/s/2baaf181/l/0Len0Brian0Bru0Crussia0C20A130A50A80C1810A3330A60CLGBT0EFilm0EFestival0EFaces0EProsecution0Eunder0EForeign0EAgent0ELaw0Bhtml/story01.htm

After kicking off a screening of the cult classic “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” from 2001, the second annual LGBT Film Series at the Frank Banko Alehouse Cinemas at SteelStacks gets down to the business of showcasing the best in current gay cinema.

The bash, which begins Tuesday and continues through June 9, includes at least three must-see movies. At the top of your list should be “How To Survive a Plague,” which was Oscar-nominated this year for Best Documentary. The superb film, screening June 2, chronicles the efforts of the New York-based activist group ACT UP to pressure government agencies, politicians and drug companies to deliver an effective AIDS treatment.

Back in the ’80s, ACT UP used stunts like wrapping Jesse Helms’ house in a giant condom and disrupting a Bill Clinton campaign speech to get its message across. “How to Survive” is not only a tribute to AIDS activists but also a celebration of how concerned citizens can make a difference.

Also worth checking out is “Kiss Me,” an effervescent Swedish film starring Ruth Vega Fernandez as Mia, a woman who returns home to attend an engagement party for her father and winds up falling into an unlikely romance with the daughter (Liv Mjones) of her soon-to-be-stepmother (“Wallander’s” Lena Endre).

Yes, it is a bit complicated, especially since Mia is, herself, engaged to be married to her longtime boyfriend (Joakim Nätterqvist). Director Alexandra-Therese Keining deals in lovely, unforced images. “Kiss Me,” screening May 20, might be predictable but it feels honest and true.

A big hit on the film fest circuit, “Yossi” screens May 29. It is the heartfelt sequel to the landmark Israeli film “Yossi and Jagger,” which depicted a taboo romance between a pair of Israeli soldiers. At the end of that movie, Jagger died on the battlefield, leaving Yossi (Ohad Knoller) alone and still in the closet.

When the action picks up a decade or so later, Yossi is a physician who has yet to come to terms with his sexuality. But changes are in store for Yossi after he goes on vacation and meets a new partner, the laid-back Tom (Oz Zehavi).

Screening June 9, “Cloudburst” stars Olympia Dukakis and Brenda Fricker as Stella and Dotty, an aging lesbian couple from Maine who embark on a Thelma and Louise-style road trip to Nova Scotia to get married after Dotty is moved into a nursing home by her daughter.

The remaining two films are “Love or Whatever” (May 22), the saga of a therapist (Tyler Poelle) who finds love with a pizza man after his longtime boyfriend leaves him for a woman; and “A Perfect Ending” (May 28), a sudsy romance between a closeted lesbian (Barbara Niven) and a call girl (Jessica Clark).

Tickets for each film are $10. Buy at 610-332-3378, artsquest.org/film or at the box office of the ArtsQuest Center.

Amy Longsdorf is a freelance writer.

Jodi Duckett, editor

jodi.duckett@mcall.com

610-820-6704

Article source: http://morningcall.feedsportal.com/c/34254/f/623002/s/2bb084ff/l/0L0Smcall0N0Centertainment0Cmc0Elgbt0Efilm0Eseries0Eartsquest0E0A50A90E20A130A50A80H0A0H32962280Bstory0Dtrack0Frss/story01.htm

Five LGBT activists were arrested after state troopers say they blocked traffic outside the Capitol on Wednesday evening with a banner supporting a bill that would ban employment discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

Jeanne Hall, a communications operator for the Texas Department of Public Safety, said the activists were charged with obstruction of a highway.

Their names were not immediately available. Hall said no injuries were reported.

Troopers said about 15 activists in all had gathered at 11th Street and Congress Avenue, but that they dispersed as arrests were made.

The activists were with GetEQUAL TX, which seeks to empower and achieve full equality for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, according to a news release the group issued Wednesday.

State Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio, filed the bill the group is supporting, Senate Bill 237, in January, but it was left pending in committee early last month. The Legislature adjourns May 27.

“It’s a simple matter of survival. You have to eat to live and you have to work to eat,� Michael Diviesti, an organizer for the group, said in the news release. “Over 400,000 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Texans go to work knowing that their jobs are not protected and that they can be fired simply for who they are or who they love with no legal recourse. This does not make for a safe and healthy working environment.�

Article source: http://www.statesman.com/news/news/crime-law/five-lgbt-activists-arrested-outside-capitol/nXk7z/

When Kathryn Bond Stockton came to Utah in 1987, the lesbian feminist scholar was something of an anomaly.

“I decided to be out right from the beginning. You can imagine many students had never known a gay person, never had a gay professor,” she said.

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Then again, Stockton only knew one Mormon.

“I thought this would be an interesting place to do work on gender and sexuality,” she said, “but it turned out to be an astonishing place.”

This year, the distinguished professor of English won the U.’s most prestigious award, the $40,000 Rosenblatt Prize for Excellence.

“Kathryn Stockton is counted among the top humanities scholars in North America and her brilliance in the classroom is widely recognized,” said U. President David Pershing in a statement.

Stockton’s cutting edge-work focuses on gender, cultural theory and LGBT studies. Now at work on a book about poverty and sexuality, she’s also written about childhood, race and religion. Stockton considered joining the ministry while earning a master’s degree from Yale University Divinity School.

But “in that period of time it was impossible to live a life as an openly gay person,” she said. “I just couldn’t imagine…living that part of my life in hiding.”

Instead, she found literature, where her interests in psychology and theology came together. She’s now taught more than 20 different courses at the U., served as director of the gender studies program and become a listening ear for students and their parents dealing with personal issues of sexuality and identity.

Stockton also watched the evolution of the gay rights movement and its interaction with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a major supporter of California’s Proposition 8 to ban gay marriage. Having experienced “supreme generosity” from the church and its members, Stockton found the stance somewhat surprising.

“One of the things I associate with Mormons is niceness and politeness…and on some very deep, unspoken level an understanding of what it has meant to be a persecuted people,” she said. Some of her devout friends and students felt also “wounded,” she said.

“That’s an untold part of the story people don’t seem to know outside Utah,” Stockton said. “They paint the church with one brush, they don’t see this diversity inside.”

For Stockton, promoting diversity is essential, from the rise of transgender identity to the growing number of straight men taking her queer theory class. She’s planning to donate her prize money to U. diversity scholarships.

“On the East Coast you may see more obvious diversity,” she said, “but I feel like I have experienced more diversity up close and personal here.”

lwhitehurst@sltrib.com

Twitter: @lwhitehurst

Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Article source: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/56268674-78/stockton-diversity-gay-prize.html.csp

Legislation protects LGBT citizens fromhousing, accommodation and employment discrimination

PA State Rep. Brian Sims and PA Sen. Larry Farnese released the following statement on the introduction of House and Senate Bills 300 which bans discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity or expression statewide in employment, housing, credit and public accommodations.

“Today’s introduction of SB 300; an important piece of legislation that prohibits discrimination in employment and housing because of a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression; marks one of my proudest moments as a Pennsylvania Senator. I’m excited to co-sponsor this bill with Sen. Pat Browne (R-Lehigh) in the Senate and Reps. Frankel (D-Allegheny) and Ross (R-Chester) in the House. And to take this important step with my friends Rep. Sims (D-Phila.), one of our state’s strongest LGBT champions, and Sen. Leach (D-Montgomery/Delaware), head of the LGBT Caucus is exciting. Together, and thanks to the support of some amazing advocates, we can strike a blow against discrimination in our Commonwealth and make life better for every single Pennsylvanian,� said Sen. Larry Farnese (D-Phila.).

“Today was nothing short of historic and it is no surprise to me that the charge for equality across the Commonwealth finds some of its strongest voices in Philadelphia. For over 30 years, the City of Brotherly Love has fought to protect its gay, lesbian and bisexual citizens, and for over a decade, Philadelphia has led in the effort to protect its transgender citizens. The prime sponsors, Sen. Farnese, along with Sen. Browne in the Senate and Reps. Frankel and Ross in the House, and all of my colleagues who are co-sponsors in the House recognize that we are woefully behind when it comes to realizing the dream of an equal America for all citizens. Pennsylvania’s citizens, its businesses, and now its elected leaders are demanding these most basic protections and I am honored to be a part of such historic leadership,� said Rep. Brian Sims (D-Phila).

As of today, the bills have a combined 102 sponsors, 77 in the House and 25 in the Senate, including seven House and two Senate Republicans.

Pennsylvania State Representative Brian Sims is a policy attorney, advocate speaker, most notably on issues pertaining to LGBT civil rights. In 2012, he was elected as the Democratic nominee for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in the 182nd legislative district. Facing no challenger in the general election, he became the first openly LGBT state legislator elected in Pennsylvania history.

Senator Larry Farnese was elected to the Senate in 2008 to represent Pennsylvania’s First Senatorial District which contains some of Philadelphia’s most unique and vibrant neighborhoods from Port Richmond on the Delaware River to Fairmount Park on the Schuylkill River and South Philadelphia, Center City, the Navy Yard, Philadelphia International Airport. He is also a member of the Appropriations Committee, Banking and Insurance Committee, the Law and Justice Committee and the Judiciary Committee.

Article source: http://www.southernberksnews.com/article/20130507/NEWS06/130509852/pa-rep-sims-and-pa-sen-farnese-release-statement-on-the-introduction-of-house-and-senate-bills-300-

Sixty years ago, the federal government spearheaded a massive purge of gay employees, no matter how qualified or essential they were to their department’s operations. The firings were the result of an executive order by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on April 27, 1953. According to an upcoming documentary, Lavender Scare, even LGBT private sector workers who were under contract with the federal government were also fired or forced to resign.

Why? Because gay people were viewed as a godless, immoral group likely to work with communists to spill government secrets.

After decades of activism, policy changes at federal agencies, and state laws protecting LGBT citizens, 94% of the top hundred companies in the U.S. — the top 50 federal contractors and the top 50 Fortune 500 companies — have policies prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation, and 78% of the companies have policies prohibiting discrimination based on gender identity.

Nine in every 10 American voters believe that there are already laws to protect LGBT employees in the workplace, just like policies for women, people with disabilities, racial minorities, or people with particular religious affiliations. But that’s not the case. An employee could still be fired in 29 states for being gay, and in 34 states for being transgender or gender non-conforming. So as we mark 60 years since the federal government’s mass firings, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act has been introduced for the 19th time in Congress. With a Republican-dominated House of Representatives, ENDA might be tough to gain momentum even though, according to the Center for American Progress, 73% of voters support protections for LGBT workers (even 66% among Republicans voters).

On the following pages, we’ve assembled a small handful of people who have been pushed out or fired from their jobs in the past few years just for being who they are.

Article source: http://www.advocate.com/politics/2013/05/08/fired-being-lgbt

BUFFALO GROVE, Ill.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–

Laurence Jacobs, M.D., a Chicago fertility doctor, has launched Rainbow
Reproduction, a medical education website dedicated solely to
family-building methods for same-sex couples, with a focus on LGBT
family-building in Illinois.

“I strongly believe that all men and women have the right to be parents
and should be able to get the help they need,� says Dr. Jacobs, who
practices at Fertility Centers of Illinois. “This website will serve as
a very valuable educational resource for lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender individuals and couples by providing information on legal
matters, insurance, donor
sperm inseminations, donor
egg IVF and gestational
surrogacy.�

Rainbow Reproduction is organized into several sections, including LGBT
Family-Building in Illinois, LGBT Family=Building Methods, Family-Building
for Gay Men and Family-Building
for Lesbians. There is also a section on Getting Started, which
includes questions to ask a fertility clinic about LGBT reproduction.

“My hope,� Dr. Jacobs says, “is to help educate gay men and lesbians who
wish to become parents about all of the options available to them
today that will allow them to achieve the family they desire.�

Dr. Jacobs completed medical school and residency in obstetrics and
gynecology at Northwestern University and a fellowship in Reproductive
Endocrinology and Infertility at the Mayo Clinic. He has been honored as
“top doctor� by the prestigious publisher Castle Connolly in all of its
editions of “America’s Top Doctors” 2001-2013 (top 1 percent of
specialists nationwide), and he was recently awarded the 2012
Compassionate Doctor Certification by Patient’s Choice. His areas of
interest and expertise include PCOS, IVF/PGD, infertility in women over
40, male infertility, recurrent miscarriages, infertility in the
Hispanic community and LGBT fertility issues.

“Being inclusive and treating everyone with compassion and respect is
essential to being a good doctor and making a difference,� Dr. Jacobs
says.

About Laurence A. Jacobs. M.D.

Dr. Laurence Jacobs is a Chicago reproductive endocrinologist who has
been practicing medicine for more than 30 years. He is a senior partner
at Fertility Centers of Illinois, one of the largest fertility centers
in the United States, and provides advanced fertility treatment at two
Chicago-area locations: Buffalo Grove and Crystal Lake. For more
information, visit www.rainbowreproduction.com.

Article source: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/chicago-fertility-doctor-laurence-jacobs-150500503.html

BUFFALO GROVE, Ill.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–

Laurence Jacobs, M.D., a Chicago fertility doctor, has launched Rainbow
Reproduction, a medical education website dedicated solely to
family-building methods for same-sex couples, with a focus on LGBT
family-building in Illinois.

“I strongly believe that all men and women have the right to be parents
and should be able to get the help they need,� says Dr. Jacobs, who
practices at Fertility Centers of Illinois. “This website will serve as
a very valuable educational resource for lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender individuals and couples by providing information on legal
matters, insurance, donor
sperm inseminations, donor
egg IVF and gestational
surrogacy.�

Rainbow Reproduction is organized into several sections, including LGBT
Family-Building in Illinois, LGBT Family=Building Methods, Family-Building
for Gay Men and Family-Building
for Lesbians. There is also a section on Getting Started, which
includes questions to ask a fertility clinic about LGBT reproduction.

“My hope,� Dr. Jacobs says, “is to help educate gay men and lesbians who
wish to become parents about all of the options available to them
today that will allow them to achieve the family they desire.�

Dr. Jacobs completed medical school and residency in obstetrics and
gynecology at Northwestern University and a fellowship in Reproductive
Endocrinology and Infertility at the Mayo Clinic. He has been honored as
“top doctor� by the prestigious publisher Castle Connolly in all of its
editions of “America’s Top Doctors” 2001-2013 (top 1 percent of
specialists nationwide), and he was recently awarded the 2012
Compassionate Doctor Certification by Patient’s Choice. His areas of
interest and expertise include PCOS, IVF/PGD, infertility in women over
40, male infertility, recurrent miscarriages, infertility in the
Hispanic community and LGBT fertility issues.

“Being inclusive and treating everyone with compassion and respect is
essential to being a good doctor and making a difference,� Dr. Jacobs
says.

About Laurence A. Jacobs. M.D.

Dr. Laurence Jacobs is a Chicago reproductive endocrinologist who has
been practicing medicine for more than 30 years. He is a senior partner
at Fertility Centers of Illinois, one of the largest fertility centers
in the United States, and provides advanced fertility treatment at two
Chicago-area locations: Buffalo Grove and Crystal Lake. For more
information, visit www.rainbowreproduction.com.

Article source: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/chicago-fertility-doctor-laurence-jacobs-150500503.html

Jason Collins, the NBA player who came out as gay last week, is putting himself out there in the name of Democratic Party politics.

Collins will headline a May 29 fundraiser with first lady Michelle Obama and Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz at the party’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Leadership Council gala event.

Collins, a free agent center who played for the Washington Wizards last season, became the first male athlete in one of America’s four major team sports to declare that he is gay. He wrote about coming out in a story for Sports Illustrated, and immediately received well-wishes from President Obama and former president Bill Clinton, among others.

The DNC and Wasserman Schultz, a Florida congresswoman, tweeted about the event on Monday. The party’s LGBT Leadership Council aims to elect Democrats and highlight the contributions of gays and lesbians in politics.

Article source: http://www.freep.com/article/20130506/SPORTS03/305060098

Teddy casino with Ladlad member

By Patrick King Pascual, VERA Files

There is no lack of enlightened politicians who support the cause of the third sex. But not many dare to come out in the open about it.

For most politicians, supporting the cause of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) could spell suicide for their political career. “When other politicians learn that you are supporting the ‘third sex’ they will veer away from your projects and bills and not support you with anything, because for them, LGBTs are not a priority in Philippine politics,� one congressman once said.

But three senatorial candidates say the LGBT cause is a human rights issue that should be the concern of each and every human being, regardless of gender.

Independent senatorial candidate Teddy Casino, formerly Bayan Muna Representative, supports the LGBT’s struggle to attain equal rights and treatment. In his privilege speech delivered in Congress last year, he said: “…it is true that many Filipinos do not really want to talk seriously about the (LGBT) issues. Kadalasan, ‘pag tinatanong ko sila kung ano ang tingin nila sa mga bakla o lesbian o transgender, ang madalas na sagot ay ngiti o kaya’y biruan… Kailan pa natin pag-uusapan ito ng matino? LGBTs and the LGBT issues are a twenty-first century reality. Anong gagawin natin sa mga problema nila? Ang isyu ng LGBT ay isang realidad ng ating panahon.â€�

Escudero supports LGBTRe-electionist Sen. Francis “Chizâ€� Escudero, who is with Team PNoy, joined a photoshoot campaign organized by Bahaghari Center and Outrage Magazine during last year’s celebration of International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. Escudero said: “All of us were equally born albeit not born equal, hence we should not treat each other differently. It is our duty to ensure the equality of each person— in our own eyes and in the eyes of the law — is protected.â€�

Akbayan partylist Representative Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel, who had been vocal about her concern for the LGBT community, showed her support by joining LGBTs in their pride marches and gender equality awareness events.

Risa Hontiveros supports LGBTLGBT members value the support of politicians for their cause but they believe they need to have their own partylist to ensure the protection of their rights and ensure their equal treatment in Philippine society.

“The LGBT community cannot forever rely on other sectors fighting for our interests; that is such a patriarchal view,� Raymond Alikpala, Congressional nominee of Ladlad partylist, said. That’s the reason behind the formation of Ladlad partylist.

Ladlad’s foray into politics had been a contentious issue. Its first attempt to be in Congress was in 2007 when it was disqualified as a partylist. The second time was in 2010 when it was again disqualified (and labelled by a Comelec commissioner as immoral) only to be recognized later by the Supreme Court.

Ladlad has served as a network of various LGBT organizations since 2003, or in the past 10 years.

“Ladlad’s role in the Filipino LGBT community at this time is unique, and with our impending victory in the May 13, 2013 elections, we hope to expand Ladlad’s role in providing greater support and assistance to LGBT Filipinos nationwide,â€� Alikpala said. “You can be sure that once Ladlad sits in Congress, the resources that will become available to us will be used to address important problems, i.e. the welfare and betterment of the LGBTs in the grassroots, as well as all other segments of society and other pressing concerns that surround the community.â€�

For Ladlad, connections and ties with other partylist groups and multisectoral alliances are important.

TV host Boy Abunda joins campaign trail.Victory in the coming elections may not be the answer to all the problems of the LGBT Filipinos, especially with the existence of allies that have the same platform and plans on the same issues. But what makes Ladlad unique is that it offers proper representation of a marginalized sector.

“It is important to have LGBT representation in Congress— in discussing and articulating related issues— because only LGBTs know the real feeling of being discriminated against and being humiliated because of their sexual orientation and gender identity,â€� Bemz Benedito, first congressional nominee of Ladlad, said.

For his part, Alikpala assured: “You can expect that Ladlad’s first term in Congress will be focused on uplifting the needs and interests of the LGBT community. But we will of course also speak out for other marginalized sectors and link arms with other persons and groups fighting for the good of the Filipino people.â€�

(VERA Files is put out by veteran journalists taking a deeper look at current issues. Vera is Latin for “true.”)

Article source: http://ph.news.yahoo.com/blogs/the-inbox/those-dare-come-lgbt-partylist-062436919.html

WASHINGTON (AP)

The Democratic National Committee says NBA veteran Jason Collins will headline its annual lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender gala.

COLLINS COMES OUT

• NBA vet Collins comes out as gay
• Collins says support ‘incredible’
• World reacts to announcement
• Collins’ former fiancee stunned
• Announcement surprises friend
• Matthew Shepard’s parents moved
• ESPN regrets Broussard’s remarks
• ESPN reporter sparks controversy
• Whitlock: Brace for hate, Collins
• Reiter: Bold move paves way

<!–

• Celtics players happy for Collins
• Video: Clippers praise Collins
• Obama calls to offer support
• White House commends Collins
• Gay exec predicts open doors
• Ex-teammates show support
• MacLean commends courage

–>

Last week, Collins became the first active player in any of four major U.S. professional sports leagues to come out as gay. President Barack Obama called the 34-year-old athlete the same day to congratulate him and tell him he was proud of his courage.

The DNC says first lady Michelle Obama will also attend the May 29 fundraiser in New York. Tickets start at $1,250 per person and go up to $32,400 per couple to chair the event.

The DNC included a call to legalize same-sex marriage in the party’s convention platform last year.

Collins has played for six teams in 12 seasons and is now a free agent.

Article source: http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/jason-collins-to-headline-democratic-lgbt-fundraiser-050613

CHICAGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–

Exelon Corporation (EXC) was awarded the International Business
Leadership Award Saturday at Equality Forum’s 2013 International
Equality Dinner, part of an annual lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender (LGBT) civil rights summit held May 2-5 in Philadelphia. The
dinner was held at the National Museum of American Jewish History.

The award recognizes companies that have a longstanding commitment to
LGBT inclusion and equality in the workplace. It is presented annually
by Equality Forum, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing
national and international LGBT civil rights through education. Denis P.
O’Brien, senior executive vice president of Exelon and CEO of Exelon
Utilities, accepted the award on the company’s behalf.

“We are honored that Equality Forum has recognized Exelon for its
advancements in diversity and inclusion,� O’Brien said. “We strive to
live these attributes inside and out, and it has made us a better
company by ensuring that we have a workplace that attracts, develops and
retains talent of all backgrounds and encourages individuals to thrive
and grow.�

“Equality forum is delighted to be honoring Exelon for their outstanding
record of supporting diversity in the workplace,� said Malcolm Lazin,
executive director and founder of Equality Forum.

Equality Forum coordinates LGBT History Month, produces documentary
films, undertakes high impact initiatives and presents the largest
annual international LGBT civil rights summit.

Exelon’s record of workplace equality also has been recognized this year
by the Human Rights Campaign, which for the third consecutive year gave
Exelon a perfect rating and named it a “Best Place to Work� on its
Corporate Equality Index. The index recognizes large U.S. employers for
inclusive policies and practices pertaining to LGBT employees.

Exelon Corporation is the nation’s leading competitive energy
provider, with 2012 revenues of approximately $23.5 billion.
Headquartered in Chicago, Exelon has operations and business activities
in 47 states, the District of Columbia and Canada. Exelon is one of the
largest competitive U.S. power generators, with approximately 35,000
megawatts of owned capacity comprising one of the nation’s cleanest and
lowest-cost power generation fleets. The company’s Constellation
business unit provides energy products and services to approximately
100,000 business and public sector customers and approximately 1 million
residential customers. Exelon’s utilities deliver electricity and
natural gas to more than 6.6 million customers in central Maryland
(BGE), northern Illinois (ComEd) and southeastern Pennsylvania (PECO).

Exelon Corporation
Paul Adams
Corporate Communications
410-470-4167

Article source: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/exelon-recognized-longstanding-commitment-lgbt-160900771.html

i am absolutely comfortable with the fact that men marrying men, women marrying women are entitled to the same exact rights. i don’t see much of a distinction beyond that.

what a difference a year can make. a historic comment from vice president
joe biden
made one year ago today. at the time it was seen as a big political gaffe. on may 9
president obama
ultimately made that mess his own message for reelection.

it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that i think same sex couples should be able to get married.

however, at the one year anniversary of don’t ask don’t tell being repealed
u.s. military
members were being denied same sex benefits. and then the first
openly gay
senator are elected. in december america’s
high court
decides to take up california’s proposition 8. in january the president makes this historic inaugural speech.

our journey is not complete until our gay
brothers and sisters
are treated like anyone else under the law. for if we are truly
created equal
then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal, as well.

and then by february of this year outgoing defense chief extends certain benefits. the
supreme court
hears arguments on
marriage equality
. and in the sporting world
jason collins
comes out as the first
openly gay
male pro athlete.
rhode island
becomes the tenth state to sign
marriage equality
into law. joining me now is former president of equality matters and new yorker writer and advocate richard. it is great to have you here. as we look at the year in review where does the momentum pick up?

we are about to probably see three additional states this month, illinois and delaware are looking pretty certain and perhaps minnesota this month. so it would, you know, be another addition of three states. we saw four states as you said in the setup piece since
president obama
made his announcement. we will have probably three more this month. and everybody is waiting for the
supreme court decisions
which will come at the end of next month.

that is going to come at the end of next month. one thing that is a political
hot potato
in the
immigration debate
.
marco rubio
says if it goes ahead it will tank it. the
lgbt community
is basically omitted from having federal protection in
immigration reform
.

the
immigration debate
is very difficult, a very difficult decision for the legislateers who are dealing with it and
gay rights
activists because
immigration reform
is so important to the country as a whole and it’s something that immigration activists have worked on for a long time but it is fundamentally unfair as the president said this weekend that lgbt americans be denied the same rights that they would have were they in heterosexual marriages, in other words, if you are married to a noncitizen you can get that person a
green card
except if you are gay.

how can the
lgbt community
be discounted when we are going over all that is necessary and needed to take us through the next generations and we omit that, why?

some of the supporters — i’m not justifying it. i don’t think we should. i think some of the members on the coalition on
immigration reform
come from more conservative or some are religious based supporters. and they have been slow to come to supporting
immigration reform
for lgbt couples. i think perhaps the only
saving grace
in all of this is if we can get a ruling from the
supreme court
which strikes doma before a final immigration vote this will be a nonissue.

another thing that happened big in july the
american psychiatric association
says trans gendered people were no longer considered
mentally ill
. and that is not something that carries a stigma.

absolutely. extremely important development. i think we will look back on what happened a year ago with vice president biden and
president obama
coming out for same sex marriage as a real turning point in the entire
gay rights
struggle.

as always great to see you. thanks, buddy.

Article source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653369/s/2b9418b9/l/0Lvideo0Bmsnbc0Bmsn0N0Cid0C51789565/story01.htm

May 5, 2013 8:52 AM

Tennis greats Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova, who are both openly gay, discuss the recent coming out of the NBA’s Jason Collins and the broader experience of gay people in professional sports.

Article source: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50146219n

Mariela Castro, daughter of Cuban president Raul Castro and niece of former president Fidel Castro, said Saturday that she’s proud of the advances she and her allies have made on LGBT rights in Cuba.

Castro spoke on a panel at the Equality Forum in Philadelphia, where she also received an award Saturday night for her activism. “We can make the best together,� she told attendees at the panel, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

“Castro said that she was ‘very proud’ of the work she and others had done to promote LGBT equality and that she would push for gay marriage,� the Inquirer notes. “Castro, a sexologist and director of the Cuban National Center for Sex Education (CENESEX), has long been an activist for LGBT equality in Cuba. She has been credited with improving conditions for gay Cubans, who faced imprisonment as recently as the 1970s.�

She also defended her country’s record on human rights, saying, “There is not any government or any country who has the right to impose or make decisions to the other ones regarding the human-rights area.�

Castro was initially denied a visa clearance to attend the Philadelphia event, but the State Department then reversed its decision and allowed her to do so. There has been some criticism of her appearance there, including by Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida, one of the most pro-LGBT Republicans in Congress, who fled Cuba as a child with her family after Fidel Castro came to power.

“For a person like Mariela Castro to attend a conference on civil rights for lesbians, gays, bisexual and transgender people, and to receive an award, is shameful, pathetic and a ruse,� Ros-Lehtinen  said in a statement posted on her website Thursday. “The words equality and human rights don’t exist in the vocabulary of the Castro tyranny.�

Former congressman Barney Frank, who spoke at the Equality Forum dinner Saturday night, praised Mariela Castro for her work but had harsh words for her father and uncle, saying they were “among the great betrayers of liberalism and human rights,� according to the Inquirer.

“I’m glad that they’re lessening the repression of gay and lesbian people, but no, I certainly don’t think that people should say, ‘OK, well, that’s all you have to do,’� Frank said.
 

Article source: http://www.advocate.com/politics/2013/05/05/mariela-castro-points-progress-lgbt-rights-cuba

people who want to kill an
immigration bill
no matter what. people can vote for or against any one of these amendments.

and that was
patrick leahy
speaking this morning. the senator plans to add an amendment this week to the
immigration bill
. this amendment would let gays in america sponsor their
foreign born
partners for
green cards
. republicans warn the proposal is threatening to unravel a carefully constructed bipartisan deal on immigration. want to bring in a journalist and contribute door to “time” magazine. he made waves in
2011
when he revealed his status as an undocumented citizen. thanks for coming on.

thank you for having me.

so you’re very aware of the
immigration bill
amendment. would you support it without it?

as far as i’m concerned right now, we’re still in the
conversation piece
of this, which is why any talk about threat or like getting — this is way too early in the process. i feel like as somebody who is undocumented and somebody who is gay, it’s really tough to be asked to make choices about, well, what part of you is more equal to the other, right?

do you feel like you’re making such a choice?

in some ways, you know, our politicians always allow us to make these choices. like i can’t be undocumented and gay at the same time. it’s kind of like saying i can’t be jose and look asian at the same time. it’s called if i would pfilipino. but this is how washington works. and looking at it from the republican perspective and looking at the fact that our country is at the process of redefining what marriage is we have a
supreme court
decision that will come in the next few weeks which in some ways procedurally might take care of this whole problem, the country has moved on when it comes to
gay marriage
, same-sex marriage. how are we moving on in terms of immigration.

what about doma, such an issue was also involved in doma and made it through.

and made it lithrough. so i feel like there is a lot of throat clearing happening, a lot of posturing happening. but frankly, i’m for a bill that is as ib clus snclusive as we can possibly get it. to me, what’s really troublesome about the whole conversation right now on immigration is how much of it is tied to
border security
. i was just on the border by the way. i went to
san diego
a couple of weeks ago, i’m filming a document. i went to see the border for myself. because as i travel this country, how many people just assume that because i’m mexican, just because i’m an
illegal alien
and i remind them in not everybody comesed the bo e not everybody crossed the border. a full million of the 11 million undocumented population is
asian and pacific islander
. no one is talking about that.

so we’re talking about lbgt and the is this something they won’t agree o. upon?

i think, again, right now the family provisions in terms of make being sure that we can sponsor right now our country looks the way that it does because a the lot of our
asian american
and
pacific islander
immigrants who became naturaled citizens were able to sponsor their siblings to come here. i come from a large filipino family. the bill we’re saying that we care more about employment than we care about family. that’s a big shift. and we’re seeing
asian american
— the api community trying to figure out, wait a second, like don’t sell us out. to me it’s an interesting timing when they could be working together. i personally would like to see more of that.

before we go, just to give a sense of how many how many we’re talking about, it’s limited 40 40,000 couples would benefit, 900,000 lgbt immigrants. one third undocumented. what will you be watching in the coming week?

i’ll be watching all the posturing and try to separate the posturing from the policy. right? a lot of this has become theater, but at the
end of the day
, actual people’s lives are at stake. families are at stake. those 40,000 people you mentioned, those are families.

jose, thank you so much

Article source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653369/s/2b8a30e2/l/0Lvideo0Bmsnbc0Bmsn0N0Cid0C51780A933/story01.htm

In Ventura County there is a vulnerable population that is being underserved and underrepresented within the community.

© 2013 Ventura County Star. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Article source: http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/may/04/ruben-ramirez-lgbt-youth-in-need-of-tailored/?partner=yahoo_feeds