Dec

1

Civil Unions Bill Passed by Illinois Senate

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Media Contact
Lawrence Perea
773-592-8708
lawrence@lgbtchange.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ILLINOIS SENATE PASSES CIVIL UNION BILL

LGBT FAMILIES GAIN VITAL PROTECTIONS

Springfield, Illinois – Wednesday, December 1, 2010 – Today, the Illinois Senate voted to pass the Illinois Religious Freedom and Civil Union Act by 32 votes.  “We are ecstatic,” stated Anthony Martinez, Executive Director of The Civil Rights Agenda and Co-Executive Director of LGBT Change. “It makes all of our work over the past two years worth every second.”  The bill now makes its way to Governor Quinn’s desk and the Governor has indicated he will sign it.

We would like to thank the Leadership in the General Assembly on this Bill including Senator Koehler and Senator Steans, as well as Representative Harris, Representative Mell, Representative Feigenholtz, and Representative Osterman. We also congratulate Equality Illinois, Lambda Legal, ACLU and all of the organizations, individuals, community members and everyone who contributed to this victory.

LGBT Change and The Civil Rights Agenda will be working together to ensure that those Legislators that voted ‘NO’ will be exposed, targeted and defeated.  We will also ensure that the Legislators that stood by the LGBT Community will be thanked and protected.

“We are finally on the bus in Illinois,” said Jacob Meister, President of The Civil Rights Agenda, “we may be sitting in the back, but we finally made it on the bus.”

The Civil Rights Agenda and LGBT Change will now turn their efforts to marriage in Illinois as a matter of full equality.

Nov

2

Beloit Daily News & ‘Marriage is So Gay’ Camp Exploit Local High School

Filed Under Bitch Slap, LGBT, WTF? | Leave a Comment

My letter to the editor of the Beloit Daily News:

Dear Mr. Barth:

I am writing to state that I am very disturbed by the way your reporter, Justin Weaver, has sensationalized the Zach Patterson/Beloit Memorial High School story. I am an open lesbian whose children attend Beloit Memorial High School. I spoke with Justin and asked him why he did not include the following facts in his original article: (1) Beloit Memorial High School has a Gay Straight Alliance whose purpose is to create a safe space for the school’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth (2) Beloit Memorial High School honors National Day of Silence, a day when the world raises awareness of suicide among LGBT youth and (3) Beloit Memorial High School has worked for years to eradicate the phrase “That’s so gay” because it’s offensive and hurtful to both LGBT people and their straight allies.

Zach Patterson was not asked to remove his “Marriage is so gay” t-shirt because it supports gay marriage. He was asked to remove the shirt because it could be misinterpreted in so many ways. As I understand it, Zach originally went to the GSA advisors and asked them what they thought of the shirt. He was told by the GSA that, because the shirt could be misinterpreted as anti-gay, it might not be a good idea to wear the shirt at school.

It’s my opinion that Justin is sensationalizing the Zach Patterson/Beloit Memorial High School because it sells papers. The Beloit Daily News is exploiting not only Zach Patterson, but the teachers and administrators who have worked so hard to protect our city’s LGBT youth.

Do you need to sell papers so bad that you’re willing to ruin the reputation of a school that has worked hard to create a safe space for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth? Do you need to sell papers so bad that you’re willing to exploit the recent rash of suicides among gay teenagers? Shame on you. Shame on Justin Weaver. And shame on the “Marriage is so gay” t-shirt company for exploiting this story for financial gain.

Genia Stevens
Beloit, WI

Jul

7

Decision Day Epilogue: Statement on the Hawaii Civil Union Bill Veto

Filed Under LGBT, LGBTQ Families, Politics, WTF? | 1 Comment

Last night, Republican Governor Linda Lingle broke a promise and dismissed the will of Hawaiian citizens as she vetoed HB 444, which would have allowed both same-sex and heterosexual couples to enter into civil unions with all the rights enjoyed by married couples.

Michael Sargeant, Executive Director of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, issued the following statement in response to Governor Lingle’s veto of the civil union bill:

“We at the DLCC are disappointed in Governor Lingle for ignoring the will of Hawaiian citizens as expressed by the Hawaii legislature’s passage of this landmark legislation. Governor Lingle also broke her campaign promise not to veto a civil union bill if passed by the state legislature. She has denied Hawaii the opportunity to become the latest example of states leading the way on equality.”

Vetoing the legislation broke a promise Lingle made in her first campaign for governor in 2002.

It was during a live debate broadcast on PBS Hawaii that Lingle was asked by moderator Linda Taira about her position on the arrangements for gay couples with rights such as family and bereavement leaves, probate rights and hospital visitation.

“On the issue of domestic partnerships, I have stated that if the Legislature (should) pass legislation granting certain rights I would not veto that legislation,” Lingle said [emphasis added].

Democratic legislators did their part and voted their conscience on “that legislation,” after a marathon 18 hours of earnest debate. But their work was undone by the Governor’s broken promise.

And in breaking her promise, Governor Lingle denied hundreds of thousands of her own citizens a right she probably takes for granted.

The Governor’s veto is a sad setback in the ongoing fight for equality. But that fight continues.

One day, America will look back on the struggle for equal rights and wonder why it was so difficult. Governor Lingle will be one of the reasons.

source

Jul

6

Decision Day in Hawaii

Filed Under Family, LGBT, News | Leave a Comment

Today could mark a significant milestone for civil rights in our country.

By the end of the day, a bill that allows both same-sex and heterosexual couples to receive the same protections under law as married couples (HB 444) will be

A. Signed into law by Governor Linda Lingle,
B. Vetoed by Governor Lingle, or
C. Allowed to become law automatically, without any action by the Governor.

July 6 is the deadline for Governor Lingle to take action on a list of bills she designated in June as ripe for veto. The civil unions bill was on that list.

We helped collect some of the thousands of citizen petitions supporting HB 444, and we were pleased to add them to the voices of local citizens, the business community, and other equal rights supporters from all over the country demanding this important step towards equality.

If this civil unions bill becomes law, seven states and the District of Columbia would either grant full civil marriage equality or recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere. Another eight states – including Hawaii – would allow same-sex couples to form civil unions or domestic partnerships.

So after today, nearly 108 million Americans could live in states where same-sex couples enjoy legal status and at least some or all of the protections enjoyed by other married couples.

Governor Lingle’s signature on HB 444 – or even her failure to veto it – would be only the most recent example of states outpacing the federal government and forging ahead in the path towards equal rights.

But we’ve seen this before, and that’s what gives us hope. State-based health care reforms led to national health care reform, and state-based clean energy laws are adding momentum for national climate action.

That means the harder states push for equal rights – and more state-level momentum we build – the closer we get to equality for everyone.

One day, America will look back on the fight for equal rights and wonder why it was so difficult. When that day comes, we’ll have the states to thank.

source

Jun

25

CNN Responds to Petition to ‘Tune Out’ their Gay in America Series

Filed Under Bisexuality, Gender, LGBT | 6 Comments

I received an email from Dallas LGBTQ equality activist C.D. Kirven pointing me to an article on LezGetReal.com that calls for a ‘tune out’ of CNN’s Gay in America series. After tweeting about the blog post, I posted it on a private Google group full of LGBT bloggers and head honchos of LGBT organizations. Within 5 minutes, I received a lead that pointed me to a contact person in CNN’s PR department – and within 10 minutes, I’d sent an email to CNN and received the following response:

Hi Genia,

The producers for ‘In America,’ are devoted to capturing diverse voices and believe we have done so with our Gay in America initiative.

Please know that there have been many other stories about the LGBT community that have aired on CNN this week as part of our “Gay in America” initiative, in addition to the Gary and Tony Have a Baby documentary. Some of the stories included were how a black Baptist church in DC is dealing with gay unions, a black service member discussing a repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” a 2-part series on gay teens from Mississippi and two black men who adopted a child.

In addition, exclusive to CNN.com is a story called the “Brady Bunch” about two black gay fathers who’ve joined their families and our ‘Rare Views’ where couples of a variety of racial backgrounds get to tell their stories.

All of these stories can be found on CNN.com on our “Gay in America” page: http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/in.america/gay.in.america/

I hope this is helpful information to you.

Regards,
Christine Pietz

Even though the series is called ‘Gay in America,” should we expect to see more trans inclusion? Thoughts?

Update:

Here’s C.D.’s response to CNN’s response:

CNN:

Thank you for responding indirectly because I have not received a return email from your producers in return of my emails I’ve been sending for weeks. You have left out a huge part of our community that include Transgender, Transsexuals, Bisexuals and LGBT rights activists like myself whose protests and rallies are not reported on similar to the “Tea Party’s” events.

GET EQUAL NOW instead of GLAAD appears to be responsible for diverse positive LGBT images so your run down of your “planned” series has still fail short of capturing the faces of our community. Since I’m an activist, I must stand up for those who feel invisible and so I will continue to collect my 1600 signatures and hope those who also want all voices heard will stand with me.

This week is the 41st anniversary of the Stonewall riots where a transgender Puertorican woman threw the first shoe that started our national LGBT fight for independence. To ignore the struggle and the people fighting in it is not my Gay in America. We can’t leave off the B and T!

C.D. Kirven
www.getequalnow.com

Update: The correct web site address for Get Equal NOW is http://getequalnow.org

Jun

5

Queer Questions Straight Talk Author Abby Dees

Filed Under Books, Culture, Lesbian Podcast, LGBT, Love | Leave a Comment

Abby Dees joined us to discuss her new book ‘Queer Questions Straight Talk.’ The book contains 108 questions it’s really okay to ask your gay, lesbian or bi loved one when they come out. ‘Queer Questions Straight Talk’ is designed to open up the often awkward dialogue with family members or friends.

May

26

Are Gay People Going to Hell?

Filed Under LGBT, Religion | 1 Comment

In my email box today:

My name is Nicole and I’m a proud lesbian. I have an important question. My girlfriend recently broke up with me because she thinks that gay people are going to hell. I’ve never believed that but I would like your opinion on it.

Thanks so much,
Nicole

I don’t believe in Hell, but for those of you who do, here’s a list of SistersTalk Radio podcasts that address the issue of homosexuality and salvation.

Can you pray away the gay?

Reverend Candace Chellew-Hodge discusses reconciling your faith with your sexual orientation

GayByGod.net creator discusses the Black church and its opinion of homosexuality

Catholic theologian James Alison discusses Catholics and their view of homosexuality

Reverend Rizi Timane discusses what the Bible really says about homosexuality

Lesbian nuns break the silence

Gay Christian musician Tom Goss discusses spirituality

May

26

To My White Gay Brothers In Pain . . .

Filed Under Gender, LGBT, Race, Women's Issues | 6 Comments

Dear White Gay Male Brothers:

Once upon a time, you were sitting at the top of the social class ladder – a spot that gave you the best possible view of (and access to) the world and all it has to offer. You had the best seat because you were a white male who the world assumed was a heterosexual.

And then . . . you came out. You told the world you were a homosexual. From there, your position changed drastically, pushing you from position #1 to a spot closer to where racial minorities and women are placed. That must’ve hurt like a bitch – and you couldn’t have seen it coming. There’s no way you saw it coming.

As a young boy, you might have grown accustomed to certain privileges, like: the assumption that you would head off to college, get a great job and marry a great girl. If you were a Black male, the assumption would’ve been you would father several illegitimate children and end up in prison. If you were a Black female, the assumption would’ve been that you would give birth to several illegitimate children and end up on welfare.

You probably never had to deal with store clerks automatically assuming you had sticky fingers just because of your race. You probably never had to deal with the police pulling you over to question you about how you acquired the nice vehicle you were driving – because white men always drive nice cars, right? You probably never had to deal with teachers automatically assuming you would be a troublemaker in class – because white kids are always perfect students, right? You probably never had to deal with a grocery store clerk automatically assuming you were using a food stamp card when you reached into your wallet at the checkout – because white people don’t need food stamps, right?

Now that you identify as a homosexual, you can no longer enjoy the privileges afforded to you when you were an assumed straight white man. If I were you, I’d be fuckin’ pissed, too! Rich people who lose it all suffer far more emotional pain than those of us who never had more than enough to live on – because they remember what it was like to have it all. I’m guessing white gay men who lose their place at the top of the social ladder are suffering from the stab of injustice far more than the rest of the gay community because the pain is so very unfamiliar. It aches and aches and you haven’t developed a coping mechanism for that kinda grief just yet.

Relax. I have great news. You get used to the pain and, over the years, it’ll become somewhat manageable. You’ll learn how to function in the world and keep the pain at a minimum. If you need some tips on how to survive through the rougher spots, ask a Black woman. She’s a pro at it.

In the meantime, I suggest learning how to work within a system of oppression to remove the oppression. If you need help with that one, ask a feminist – or a Black man, or a Black woman, or a Hispanic individual. They all have great pointers. And pay attention as they speak; you might actually learn something.

Regards,
Genia Stevens

May

23

Standup Florida’s Harvey Milk Day Celebration Wrap Up

Filed Under Audio Update, LGBT, Politics | 2 Comments

I was in Tampa, FL this weekend celebrating Harvey Milk Day with StandUp Florida, a new volunteer-based grassroots LGBT equality organization. StandUp organized a Harvey Milk Day remembrance dinner in Tampa, FL – my new favorite US-based gay mecca. SistersTalk Radio was on location, broadcasting live and enjoying the opportunity to meet fellow equality activists.

Other than two delayed flights (Tampa inbound delayed by 6 hours and Tampa outbound delayed by 5 hours), I had a great time. My hosts, Anthony Farver (Executive Director, StandUp Florida) and Bryan Arnette (State Director, StandUp Florida), were gracious hosts who waited for me to arrive Friday night before they would eat dinner. So sweet! Hampton Inn and Suites in Ybor has a great staff who took very good care of me during my brief stay in Tampa.

I have to pause here to thank my partner, Andrea Kleinheksel, for tolerating me during all my bitchy rants about delayed flights. She was also very accommodating and drove to Milwaukee to pick me up from the airport after my Chicago flight was delayed and I was bumped to a Milwaukee flight that arrived hours later than planned. Just say no to AirTran.

Anyway, the weekend’s events are worth writing home about – or at least posting a blog about. I met Romaine Patterson, creator of Angel Action and co-host and producer of the radio show Derek and Romaine. I had an opportunity to interview her; you can listen to that interview here. I also met Alex Nicholson, the founder and Executive Director of Servicemembers United. An interview with Alex is available here.

The Harvey Milk Remembrance Dinner was quite moving. Activists young and old gathered at Streetcar Charlie’s to honor the memory of Harvey Milk, of one of the LGBT community’s greatest heroes. Romaine Patterson reminded us that every single one of us can make a difference. Alex spoke about DADT’s affect on gay servicemembers even after they’ve been discharged from the military and Eddie Marti-Kring told a touching story about a German-American family who adopted him after his own mother kicked him out when she learned he was gay.

After dinner, those of us who were gathered to honor Harvey Milk did a candlelight vigil/walk, complete with Romaine Patterson, Alex Nicholson, Edward Mart-Kring and a few angels in tow. Along the route, we met up with religious anti-gay protesters who insisted gay people would get what’s coming to us. Instead of arguing with them, we paused long enough to sing Amazing Grace. When we finished the song, we continued our walk. A rather ambitious group of kids (about 16 – 18 years old) followed us and insisted on discussing the Bible with us, until Bryan Arnette informed them that we were gathered to honor the memory of someone who had died fighting for our rights. The confrontation ended without incident and we finished our walk – in honor of Harvey Milk.

After the walk, Drea (StandUp Florida’s new Creative Director) took yours truly to a Tampa dance club called Honey Pot. Hands down, it’s absolutely the best dance club I’ve ever stepped foot in. I’m not sure who voted in MTV/LOGO’s Best Gay Bar contest. Obviously, they’ve never seen the likes of Honey Pot! If they had, The Abbey (located in Los Angeles, CA) would NOT be considered the best gay bar in the country. Honey Pot’s diversity was amazing: lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people, straight people, try-sexual people, homo-flexible people, liquor-lesbians, Black people, white people, Hispanic people, you name it. The music kept bumpin’ and the attendants knew every word to every song. The dance floor never emptied. The sweat kept pouring. The drinks kept comin’. If you’re ever in Tampa, FL, Honey Pot (and G Bar, their sister bar) should be on your must-experience list.

StandUp Florida plans a repeat of this year’s Harvey Milk Day celebration in 2011. It’s an event you don’t want to miss. Head on over to their web site and sign up for their newsletter. Tell ‘em Genia sent ya.

May

20

Gay Rights Activists arrested after sit-in in Sen. Durbin’s office

Filed Under ENDA, LGBT, Politics | Leave a Comment

Chicago, IL – May 20, 2010 -  As part of a broad strategy to gain a vote on ENDA this year, a group of thirteen Chicago activists have been arrested after a sit-in in Senator Richard J. Durbin’s office.   The sit-in was initiated due to the Senator’s lack of response regarding a pledge that a coalition of activist groups sent to the Senator for signature.  The pledge (in its entirety below) affirms his commitment to a transgender-inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act, and forceful advocacy of the bill before the Media and Senate.  The ‘form letter’ response received from the Senator via email did state his support for ENDA, but does not mention transgender protections as part of the bill he supports:

In each of the last several Congresses, I have joined Senator Ted Kennedy as an original cosponsor of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. This measure would prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Specifically, it would make it unlawful for employers to discharge or refuse to hire any individual, or limit any individual’s employment opportunities, based on that person’s sexual orientation.

The activists arrived in Senator Durbin’s office at noon during a protest in support of ENDA that was taking place in front of the Federal Building.  With the pledge in hand they arrived and stated they would not leave until the Senator signed the pledge.  The Senator was not in the Chicago office and when the group asked to speak to the Senator via phone, they were told “that is not possible.”  They refused to leave until the pledge was signed.  The staffer then called the Federal authorities to have them removed from the office.

“I am here because we can no longer sit around and wait for our rights to be handed to us by politicians, we must demand our rights from them,” said Lindsey Dietzler of LGBT Change and one of those arrested.  “We have to be here to fight for those who are forced to remain invisible and deny who they are just to make a living.  I want Senator Durbin to know that until there is full federal equality for every queer citizen, no one in this country is free.”

The activists arrested are: Andrea Crain, Kevin Connaghan, Lindsey Dietzler, Roger Fraser, Judy Heithmar, Brent Holman-Gomez, Nik Maciejewski, Rachael McIntosh, Corrine Mina, Michael Oboza, Samantha Pajor, Sherry Wolf, Danelle Wylder.

“The LGBTQ community has stepped up to the plate and done our part. We gave votes, money, and countless hours of volunteer work to elect a Democratic majority in both houses of Congress and put a Democrat in the White House,” said Andrea Crain of Join the Impact Chicago. “We have lobbied our representatives and educated the public. We were told to wait until after the health care bill passed, and it has passed. We did our work, now Senator Durbin must do his!”

We call on the community to stand in solidarity with those who have been arrested by signing our petition asking Senator Richard Durbin, the second highest ranking Senator in the Senate, to become a forceful advocate for an ENDA vote this year: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/PASS-ENDA-NOW. Please also contact Senator Durbin at his office at (312) 353-4952 and tell him to help get ENDA passed this year!

Pledge:
I, Senator Richard Durbin, agree to stand before my colleagues in the U.S. Senate and the media to forcefully declare the urgent need for a transgender-inclusive ENDA in 2010. While all LGBTQ people in this country remain second-class citizens, it is a crisis that 97 percent of transgender people, according to the National Transgender Discrimination Survey, have experienced mistreatment, harassment or discrimination on the job.

Federally-sanctioned discrimination of the millions of U.S. workers who are sexual minorities must finally pass into history. The time is now to stop the lies, the scapegoating and the bigotry against those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer. I appeal to my colleagues in the Senate to end our sad history of anti-LGBTQ bigotry and pass a transgender-inclusive ENDA in 2010.

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