June 24, President Obama designated Stonewall National Monument as the newest addition to America’s National Park System. Stonewall is the first national monument to tell the story of the struggle for LGBT rights in America.
In support of this historic designation, Pride Live Nation has partnered with Charitybuzz and some of the biggest names in entertainment to raise funds directly for the Stonewall National Monument.
Visit charitybuzz.com/stonewall and bid on exciting experiences and items donated by Anderson Cooper, Cher, George Clooney, Taylor Swift, Justin Tranter, Jonathan Adler, Andy Cohen, Bryan Lourd, Cyndi Lauper, Mick Rock, David Karp, Taylor Swift, Dustin Lance Black, and Moncho1929.
In addition, Madonna has donated a pair of cherry red & purple velvet Prada couture shoes , Stevie Nicks has donated a trademark rhythm tech tambourine designed exclusively for Stonewall National Monument, and Demi Lovato has donated one of her specially designed Michael Costello sequin costumes worn on her Future Now tour.
The auction runs through Nov. 10, 3 p.m. EST.
The funds raised through the unique celebrity experiences and items will go toward helping to provide for dedicated National Park Service rangers, a temporary ranger station and visitor center, research and materials, exhibits, LGBTQ community outreach, public education and scholar engagement at Stonewall National Monument.
The primary, if (mostly) unspoken, purpose of voter ID laws is to keep down turnout among African-American voters who prefer Democrats. But one of the side effects of the laws is that they make it harder for trans voters too. An estimated 34,000 trans voters may find it impossible to cast a ballot this election because they can’t clear the hurdles that Republican legislatures have put in place.
According to a report from the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law, eight states have laws that make voting incredibly (and perhaps intentionally) difficult for trans people. At issue is the need to produce documentation, such as a birth certificate, that not only proves that they are U.S. citizens but that also reflects their gender. Of course, North Carolina, hotbed of anti-trans activity, is one of the eight offending states.
“Transgender people have unique, and sometimes insurmountable, burdens to obtaining accurate IDs for voting in states that require it,”says Williams Institute Scholar Jody Herman, the author of the study.
Changing documents so that they accurately reflect the voter’s gender is a burdensome and often costly process that requires jumping through a series of bureaucratic hoops. Needless to say, that burden falls disproportionately on transgender people of color, youth, students and people with disabilities. The National Center for Transgender Equality has a checklist for voters to help them navigate both pre- and post-Election Day challenges.
Did Republican legislators intentionally decide to craft laws that target trans voters? Probably not. But that if they did, they’d consider it a feature of the law, not a bug.
New data just released from the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that 39 percent of LGB adults said they had used some type of illicit drug over the past year compared to about 17 percent of straight respondents, HealthDay Newsreports.
About 15 percent of LGB adults said they’d battled substance use disorder vs. 15 percent of straight respondents. Smoking and drinking rates were higher as well — 32 percent smoking for LGB people vs. 21 percent of straight folks. For drinking, it was 64 vs. 56 percent respectively.
However LGB adults seemed to be more amenable to seeking out treatment for a substance-abuse disorder if one developed. The report found that among adults who required substance use treatment, 15.3 percent of LGB adults received it at a specialty facility over the past year, compared with 10.6 percent of straight adults, HealthDay reports.
LGB adults were more than twice as likely as straight adults to have had any kind of mental illness in the past year (37.4 percent versus 17 percent), and also had a higher rate of past year serious mental illness (13 versus 3.6 percent).
However, treatment rates were higher for LGB adults with a mental illness, the researchers said. For adults with any kind of mental illness in the past year, LGB adults were more likely to receive mental health treatment than straight adults (48.5 percent versus 42.6 percent), according to HealthDay.
About 4.3 percent of American adults are either lesbian, gay or bisexual, according to the report.
The site of the most deadly hate crime in modern U.S. history will likely be purchased by the City of Orlando and turned into a memorial.
City officials announced today that they’ve negotiated a price of $2.4 million to buy Pulse, the nightclub where a gunman and 49 others were killed in June.
“This location is now a permanent part of Orlando’s history,” said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. “It’s the site of the most tragic event that has ever occurred in the City of Orlando. We want our entire community to be a part of this site.”
The site has been visited by President Obama, Vice President Biden, Hillary Clinton and her runningmate Tim Kaine, plus visiting world leaders, and a number of celebrities. But most frequently, it’s visited by everyday people who want to remember those lost.
Talks about the club’s future took place for the past few months, according to Cassandra Lafser, press secretary for the mayor’s office, and a final price was reached this week. The Orlando City Council will vote on the purchase Monday, two days after Orlando’s annual pride celebration, Come Out With Pride.
On June 12, Fort Pierce man Omar Mateen opened fire in the Orlando LGBT club. In phone calls to police, Mateen swore an allegiance to leaders of ISIS. Mateen ultimately died at Pulse, where police shot him eight times before taking control of the club. Pulse regulars say Mateen frequented the club, leading to speculation he was gay, but family members and the FBI dismiss that.
The attack occurred on Latin night at Pulse, and a disproportionate number of victims were Latino. Dyer stresses the massacre, though, tore at all of Orlando, and the Pulse now should serve as memorial site recognized by the entire community.
“It has great significance, not just for the LGBTQ community and the Hispanic community, but for all of us that live and love Orlando,” Dyer said.
A timeline for turning Pulse into a formal memorial has not been set, but Dyer says the club will remain in its current state for the next 12 to 18 months. In the wake of the shooting, Pulse and the fencing surrounding turned into a makeshift monument to the fallen 49. The logo for the Pulse since became a mourning and rallying cry. But the site has also drawn trespassers and criminals breaking into the property, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
The Sentinel notes owners Barbara and Rosario Poma negotiated a price well beyond the $1.65 million appraised value of the club. Pulse has not re-opened since the shooting.
Barbara Poma opened the bar in 2004 and named it in honor of her later brother John, who died from AIDS in 1991. Poma issued a statement earlier this year expressing her desire for part of the club to include a memorial. Dyers said a public process will determine what sort of memorial gets created at the site.
OUTwatch – Wine Country’s LGBTQI Film Festival will happen November 4 – 6, 2016, at Third Street Cinema in Santa Rosa. This year’s theme is More Than Meets The Eye. For its third year as one of Wine Country’s fastest-growing film festivals, OUTwatch will showcase five fantastic feature films and three thought-provoking documentaries. Festival sponsors and festival pass holders are invited to attend the VIP Opening Night Party, Friday at the Glaser Center in Santa Rosa, an event catered by El Coqui replete with wine by Deerfield Ranch Winer and sweet treats from Moustache Bakery. On Saturday afternoon, all ticket holders are invited to Brew in Santa Rosa for “Real Boy” Brunch with a live performance by Joe Stevens of Coyote Grace 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
OUTwatch is determined to bring the best of International LGBTQI Cinema to the North Bay. The festival has expanded to three days of screenings. This year, the schedule is: Friday, November 4 – 7:30 p.m.Political Animals is an informative and engaging documentary about the four out lesbians who fought for LGBT equality in California’s Assembly. Saturday, November 5 – 2 p.m.Real Boy is a unique documentary about Bennet Wallace, a young man finding his voice as a transgender singer/songwriter. 4:15 p.m. Hunky Dory is a gritty and heart-warming feature about a bisexual bohemian drag queen who finds himself caring for his precocious pre-teen son. 7 p.m.Summertime is a sexy French romance about the relationship that forms between two feminist activists during the swinging 70s. 9:15 p.m.Retake is psychodrama about two men on a road trip. Sunday, November 6 – 1 p.m.Women Who Kill is a dark comedy about lesbian exes who produce a podcast about female serial killers. 3:15 p.m. Check It is an un-flinching documentary about homeless youth struggling to create a brighter future for themselves. 5:30 p.m. Lazy Eye is a character-driven feature about a gay man facing middle age and sudden appearance of ‘the-man-that-got-away’ during a sizzling desert weekend.
For more information go to www.outwatchfilmfest.com. Tickets are $10.
Seniors who do not have supportive family connections are frequently referred to as “orphan seniors.” Many of us who are LGBT have never had children and we may be alienated from other family members. While there are many supportive services provided by government and non-profit agencies, they cannot fulfill all the needs that can arise when a health-related crisis occurs.
Our past efforts to create non-traditional family ties are more difficult now as our peers develop their own age-related challenges. Many of us also lost many friends during the AIDS pandemic and now we are losing friends to age-related causes. Even if we are partnered, we may be isolated as a couple and there may come a time when one of us will be alone. So whom can we call upon for practical and emotional support when a crisis happens?
First of all, I think we have to be prepared for the unexpected. We might make a list of things that need regular attention in the event we are unable to carry out those tasks. Is there a pet that would need care? Are there bills that would need to be paid? Is there a garden that would need regular watering?
Secondly, we might begin to think about who might fulfill those responsibilities. This involves some creative brainstorming as we don’t want to burden just one person. Think about neighbors, acquaintances, and connections made through shared activities such as clubs, meet-ups and walking groups.
Thirdly, we will want to make it easy for people to help us. That means getting over our attachment to independence and learning the value of interdependence. We need to feel as comfortable asking for help as well as we do offering it. We also need to make our requests clear and definite and to offer options. When someone asks “How can I help?” and we feel it is sincere, we can offer a list of concrete possibilities from something simple such as picking up an item at the store or providing a periodic phone check-in to something more involved such as a home visit or going with us to a medical appointment.
Conversely when we are called upon to support another, it is important to know our strengths and to set boundaries. For example, some us are much better at practical support than we are at emotional support. We need to contribute in ways that allow us to be both comfortable and effective.
Buz Hermes is co-facilitator of the Sonoma Valley LGBT Seniors Group and a former staff member of Spectrum’s Senior Outreach Program. He is currently a consultant on LGBT aging and can be reached at GaryDHermes@comcast.net or (707) 227-6935.
According to the Public Affairs Council, strong majorities of Americans are concerned about all forms of discrimination — whether it’s based on race, gender identity, sexual orientation, gender, disability, religion, or age. A new survey shows that the problem of racial discrimination is considered the most serious discrimination challenge the country faces, followed by gender identity (transgender) discrimination.
Attitudes about discrimination vary sharply based on political party, age, gender and other factors.
The results come from the 2016 Public Affairs Pulse survey, a telephone poll of 1,000 Americans conducted Sept. 12–17 by Public Opinion Strategies and sponsored by the Public Affairs Council.
Nearly three-quarters (74%) of Americans believe racial discrimination is at least a serious problem and 37 percent say it is a very serious problem. Similar percentages call gender identity discrimination at least serious (67%) or very serious (37%).
Differences Between Political Parties
Republicans, on balance, are less likely than Democrats and Independents to see discrimination across these seven areas as serious problems. The largest differences between Republicans and Democrats show up in attitudes about gender identity discrimination (46 percent of Republicans versus 84 percent of Democrats view the matter to be serious) and sexual orientation (45 percent of Republicans versus 79 percent of Democrats say this is a serious problem). The smallest difference in attitudes relates to religious discrimination (52 percent of Republicans and 70 percent of Democrats call this issue serious).
Many Business Anti-Discrimination Efforts Go Unnoticed
Major companies receive little credit for their efforts to reduce discrimination. One in three Americans (34%) think corporations have played a positive role in reducing discrimination of people with disabilities, and slightly lower percentages recognize business efforts to reduce discrimination by gender (28%), race (27%) and sexual orientation (26%). For discrimination by gender identity, religion and age, more Americans feel companies have played a negative role than positive role.
If major companies were to take steps to prevent discrimination based on any of these factors, most Americans say they would view these efforts favorably.
For full survey results and methodology, visit pac.org/pulse.
Various off putting and discriminatory terms have been used in employment interviews to indicate management disapproval of a candidate. For example, a young professional woman may be asked if her husband would allow her to take business travel with male colleagues.
Of course, there is always the pregnancy question of a professional woman and that can lead in several discriminatory directions. Are you planning to have a family? Would you want to continue to work after having a child? And so it goes.
For openly out LGBT employment seekers, discriminatory questions tend to go toward health issues, especially mental health and HIV status. Employers are, of course, not allowed to ask health questions and are required by federal and state laws to accommodate health conditions designated or defined as a disability.
Still. When it comes to openly out LGBT job seekers, especially those seeking high paid professional jobs that require high levels of responsibility, veteran employers have subtle ways of asking “Are you mentally stable?”
Variations on “Are you mentally stable?” include “Are you well adjusted?” Translation: Are you sexually stable?
Another variation: “With regard to your sexuality, are you at peace with that?” Translation: “Are you sexually confused and/or mentally stable?”
Another variation: “Your family is supportive of your sexuality and at peace with that?” Translations: “Do you come from a stable home with a stable upbringing and are you mentally stable?”
Another variation, “Are you in control of your sexuality?” Translation: “At the firm, we can’t have displays of sexuality that might disrupt the work and offend our staff.”
Another translation: “Are you mentally stable?”
Employers have a variety of subtle ways to ask these questions, whether verbally or through a set of in-house questionnaires developed by staff to discriminate against LGBT employment seekers. Since the questionnaire is company property, the LGBT jobseeker will not have access to them as proof of employment discrimination. For this reason the LGBT jobseeker should take an iPhone image of the questionnaire and insist on completing the questionnaire in private.
If the interview is all verbal, an iPhone recorder in a jacket pocket might be used to record the interview. Recorders can be activated by accident if any questions arise about the recording. The job applicant can also ask to go to bathroom to check and adjust, if necessary, the quality of the recording.
In a July 1972 Dear Abby column a writer identified as Happy Heterosexual wrote, “There is no such thing as a well-adjusted homosexual; the two terms are antonymous. Homosexuality, male female, is a form of sexual deviation which is symptomatic of personality disorder.”
I am editing Abby’s response to “Dear Happy” with, “Much of the maladjustment seen in homosexuals is due to the rejection, persecution, and guilt imposed upon them by intolerant and ignorant contemporaries.”
Abby, Abigail Van Buren whose real name was Pauline Phillips, died in 2013, was an LGBT ally and spokesperson to the masses long before anyone else. Her daughter Jeanne continues her mother’s work to change minds today.
LGBT employment discrimination continues to cause suffering in our community due to “intolerant and ignorant employers,” outdated business and personnel policies, and outright bigotry. We all have to do our part to help bring the employment and other changes we want to see to support ourselves and our families. That takes work, action and the technology we all have in our pockets.
James Patterson is a Washington DC based writer and speaker who nearly lost his job as a diplomatic post due to long political interference from U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms. Patterson’s work appears in The Washington Post, The Foreign Service Journal, TheHill.com, The Advocate.com, San Francisco Chronicle, and many others. JEPCapitolHill@gmail.com
Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) released a new video ad featuring Hillary Clinton’s historic commitment to fighting for full LGBTQ equality.
“Time and again Hillary Clinton has demonstrated through her words and actions that she is committed to fighting for full LGBTQ equality,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “All of the progress we’ve achieved is at stake in this election. While Donald Trump continues his hate-filled campaign and threatens to drag us backwards, Hillary Clinton will fight to break down the walls of discrimination that still hold us back. It’s crucially important that pro-equality Americans turn out and vote for Hillary Clinton as the next President of the United States.”
In the video, Hillary Clinton says, “We need to build an America where no one has to worry that they can get married on Saturday and be fired on Monday; where kids aren’t bullied just because of who they are; and where every American has the chance to live up to his or her God-given potential, no matter who they are or who they love.”
Watch the video above.
In addition to her long record as a champion for LGBTQ rights both in the U.S. and around the globe, Hillary Clinton has proposed the most robust pro-LGBTQ equality agenda of any presidential candidate in history. She has called the Equality Act her “highest priority,” and her detailed LGBTQ policy platform specifically calls for outlawing dangerous “conversion therapy” for minors, ending the epidemic of transgender violence, and supporting HIV prevention and affordable treatment, among other proposals that would advance equality and support the LGBTQ community. Find out more at www.hrc.org/hrc
The new video is part of HRC’s unprecedented digital campaign in a get-out-the-vote effort aimed at more than 2 million potential pro-equality voters nationwide.
Gay and bisexual men convicted of now-abolished sexual offences in England and Wales are to receive posthumous pardons, the government has announced.
Thousands of living men convicted over consensual same-sex relationships will also be eligible for the pardon.
Lib Dem peer Lord Sharkey, who proposed the amendment to the Policing and Crimes Bill, said it was “momentous”.
It follows the pardoning of World War Two code-breaker Alan Turing for gross indecency in 2013.
Under the amendment – dubbed “Turing law” – deceased people who were convicted of sexual acts that are no longer deemed criminal will receive an automatic pardon.
Anyone living who has been convicted of such offences could already apply through the Home Office to have the offence wiped from their criminal records.
But now, if the Home Office agrees that the offence is no longer an offence under current law, they will automatically be pardoned.
Justice Minister Sam Gyimah said it was “hugely important that we pardon people convicted of historical sexual offences who would be innocent of any crime today”.
Lord Sharkey said he understood why some people may not want a pardon, or may “feel that it’s wrong”.
But, he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, “a pardon is probably the best way of acknowledging the real harm done by the unjust and cruel homophobic laws, which thankfully we’ve now repealed. And I do hope that a lot of people will feel exactly the same way”.
He said of the 65,000 men convicted under the laws, 15,000 are still alive.
‘I will not accept a pardon’
George Montague was convicted in 1974 of gross indecency with a man. He says he wants an apology – not a pardon.
“To accept a pardon means you accept that you were guilty. I was not guilty of anything. I was only guilty of being in the wrong place at the wrong time,” he told BBC Newsnight.
“I think it was wrong to give Alan Turing – one of the heroes of my life – a pardon.
“What was he guilty of? He was guilty of the same as what they called me guilty of – being born only able to fall in love with another man.”
He added: “If I get an apology, I will not need a pardon.”
He added that there “never should have been an offence of gross indecency”.
“It didn’t apply to heterosexuals. Heterosexuals could do what they liked, in the doorways, in passageways, the back of their car.
“It only applied to gay men. That’s not right, surely?”
The Sexual Offences Act decriminalised private homosexual acts between men aged over 21 in England and Wales, in 1967.
The law was not changed in Scotland until 1980, or in Northern Ireland until 1982.
Announcing the new plan, Mr Gyimah said the government would support Lord Sharkey’s amendment to the Policing and Crime Bill – which would apply to England and Wales, but not Scotland and Northern Ireland as the Justice Department does not cover devolved administrations.
The petition gathered almost 640,000 signatories, including the actors Stephen Fry and Benedict Cumberbatch, who played Turing in the film about the enigma code, The Imitation Game.
The charity Stonewall, which campaigns for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, said it has begun discussions with the Scottish government to allow similar procedures to be introduced in Scotland.
In Northern Ireland, the Rainbow Project, also a charity and campaign group, met with the justice minister in August to discuss the law around historical convictions.
Cyanide poisoning
Turing, the Bletchley Park code-breaker, was convicted in 1952 of gross indecency with a 19-year-old man.
He was later chemically castrated and died in 1954 after poisoning himself with cyanide.
His pardon, almost 60 years later, followed a Private Member’s Bill introduced by Lord Sharkey.
The Lib Dem peer said it was “a momentous day for thousands of families up and down the UK”.
He said: “It is a wonderful thing that we have been able to build on the pardon granted to Alan Turing during the coalition.”
Turing’s great niece Rachel Barnes said the moment Turing’s family heard he was to receive a pardon was “absolutely tremendous”.
She told the Today programme: “Alan Turing just so, so deserves this. To think that this is the man who cracked the enigma code and saved countless of millions of lives during World War Two and to think of the treatments that he went through at the hands of the government in 1952 is still unbelievable to us.”
She said that the family has always highlighted his achievements rather than the fact he was a gay man.
She added: “Because we shouldn’t be thinking about his sexuality, we should really be focusing on the successes of this incredible man in history who has done so much for the country and for the world”.
Private Member’s Bill
The government has said it will not be supporting a separate Private Member’s Bill on the subject – introduced by SNP MP John Nicolson – which is set to be debated on Friday.
Mr Nicolson, the MP for East Dunbartonshire, has proposed a blanket pardon for those still living, without the need to apply for their criminal records to be cleared by the Home Office.
Mr Gyimah said such a move could see people claiming pardons for acts that are still illegal.
“This would cause an extraordinary and unnecessary amount of distress to victims,” he added.
Paul Twocock from Stonewall welcomed the announcement but said it supported Mr Nicolson’s Private Member’s Bill.
Mr Twocock said the bill “explicitly” excluded pardoning anyone convicted of offences that would still be illegal today, including non-consensual sex and sex with someone under 16.