Small-business owner Rhea Mohler weighed in on the importance of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, noting that without the protections the legislation would provide, "Virginia workers can be fired simply because of who they are, with no regard to their experience and talent."
Read the full letter to the editor of the Sun Gazette in Northern Virginia.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
New Film Focuses on Homophobia in Women's Sports
Training Rules, a fantastic new movie about homophobia in women's sports, tells the story of Jen Harris, an athlete who started getting recruited by college basketball programs in the fifth grade. She ends up playing ball at Penn State, where she was called one of the 20 best women's basketball players in the country and was a sure bet to ultimately play in the WNBA. Harris winds up getting kicked off the team because of her coach's homophobia, and chooses to fight. This movie showcases the decades of discrimination inside the Penn State women's basketball program and how Jen Harris does not take the news of being kicked off the team quietly.
Click on the image below to watch the trailer for Training Rules.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Florida Competitive Workforce Bill Filed To Add Anti-Discrimination Protections Statewide
Equality Florida applauds the filing of the Competitive Workforce bill in the Florida House of Representatives. House bill 391, filed by Rep. Kelly Skidmore, would add sexual orientation and gender identity to Florida’s civil rights statues.
Currently, it is legal to discriminate against someone in employment, housing and public accommodations because that person is gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender (LGBT). The bill would add these categories into laws that already protect Floridians based on race, age, disability, sex and religion.
“I am proud to be the sponsor of this very important legislation,” said Representative Skidmore, “I look forward to working with Equality Florida and all Floridians who believe that discrimination is wrong and ought to be illegal."
As the Competitive Workforce Bill was being filed, the Tampa City Council voted to add “gender identity and gender expression” to its existing human right ordinance, which already includes sexual orientation protections.
“Even as cities and companies across our state adopt policies banning anti-gay and gender identity-based discrimination, Florida law fails to provide statewide protection to LGBT Floridians against workplace discrimination,” said Mallory Wells, Public Policy Director for Equality Florida, “Equality Florida is working with fair-minded legislators to introduce this legislation because no one should lose their job because of who they are.”
Organizations and businesses can sign on to support the Competitive Workforce Bill, by going to: http://eqfl.org/competitiveworkforce/
Currently, it is legal to discriminate against someone in employment, housing and public accommodations because that person is gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender (LGBT). The bill would add these categories into laws that already protect Floridians based on race, age, disability, sex and religion.
“I am proud to be the sponsor of this very important legislation,” said Representative Skidmore, “I look forward to working with Equality Florida and all Floridians who believe that discrimination is wrong and ought to be illegal."
As the Competitive Workforce Bill was being filed, the Tampa City Council voted to add “gender identity and gender expression” to its existing human right ordinance, which already includes sexual orientation protections.
“Even as cities and companies across our state adopt policies banning anti-gay and gender identity-based discrimination, Florida law fails to provide statewide protection to LGBT Floridians against workplace discrimination,” said Mallory Wells, Public Policy Director for Equality Florida, “Equality Florida is working with fair-minded legislators to introduce this legislation because no one should lose their job because of who they are.”
Organizations and businesses can sign on to support the Competitive Workforce Bill, by going to: http://eqfl.org/competitiveworkforce/
Nurses from Miami Hospital Apologize to Janice Langbehn
We have previously blogged about the story of Janice Langbehn, the woman from Washington State who was not allowed to enter the hospital room of her dying partner, Lisa Pond. A Miami federal court threw out her case, but now it appears that some of the nurses at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami are speaking out.
According to this article in the L.A. Times, several nurses at Jackson Memorial Hospital have personally apologized to Langbehn.
"We certainly are sorry for the pain and suffering she felt," said Martha Baker, a registered nurse and president of Service Employees International Union Local 1991, the union representing about 5,000 healthcare professionals at Jackson, which is in Miami.
"I apologize," said registered nurse Norberto Molina, chairman of the union's gay Lavender Caucus. "I can't imagine what you went through."
The apologies came at a town-hall-style meeting Thursday at Unity on the Bay church, where Langbehn returned to Miami as a speaker.
Baker, Molina and two other Jackson nurses, Jim Nicholson and Diane Poirier, along with 60 other people, attended the meeting.
Langbehn, whose lawsuit against Jackson was dismissed in September by a federal court in Miami, welcomed the nurses' gesture. But she still wants the hospital to apologize formally.
"The management has to do it," Langbehn said.
She tearfully told the audience of her final moments with longtime partner Lisa Pond, who suffered a fatal brain aneurysm on Feb. 18, 2007, shortly before they were to sail with their three children on a Caribbean cruise.
At Jackson, Langbehn said, a social worker would not let her visit Pond because Florida is "an anti-gay state." Pond, 39, died the next day.
Langbehn, with Lambda Legal's help, sued the hospital. The case was dismissed without a decision on whether Jackson discriminated against Langbehn because she is gay. The court determined that the hospital had no legal obligation to allow anyone to visit a patient.
"It's my duty to speak out, that this should never happen to another family of ours," said Langbehn; seated with her attorney, Beth Littrell of Lambda Legal in Atlanta; Stratton Pollitzer of Equality Florida and Miami attorney Elizabeth Schwartz, who specializes in nontraditional-family issues.
According to this article in the L.A. Times, several nurses at Jackson Memorial Hospital have personally apologized to Langbehn.
"We certainly are sorry for the pain and suffering she felt," said Martha Baker, a registered nurse and president of Service Employees International Union Local 1991, the union representing about 5,000 healthcare professionals at Jackson, which is in Miami.
"I apologize," said registered nurse Norberto Molina, chairman of the union's gay Lavender Caucus. "I can't imagine what you went through."
The apologies came at a town-hall-style meeting Thursday at Unity on the Bay church, where Langbehn returned to Miami as a speaker.
Baker, Molina and two other Jackson nurses, Jim Nicholson and Diane Poirier, along with 60 other people, attended the meeting.
Langbehn, whose lawsuit against Jackson was dismissed in September by a federal court in Miami, welcomed the nurses' gesture. But she still wants the hospital to apologize formally.
"The management has to do it," Langbehn said.
She tearfully told the audience of her final moments with longtime partner Lisa Pond, who suffered a fatal brain aneurysm on Feb. 18, 2007, shortly before they were to sail with their three children on a Caribbean cruise.
At Jackson, Langbehn said, a social worker would not let her visit Pond because Florida is "an anti-gay state." Pond, 39, died the next day.
Langbehn, with Lambda Legal's help, sued the hospital. The case was dismissed without a decision on whether Jackson discriminated against Langbehn because she is gay. The court determined that the hospital had no legal obligation to allow anyone to visit a patient.
"It's my duty to speak out, that this should never happen to another family of ours," said Langbehn; seated with her attorney, Beth Littrell of Lambda Legal in Atlanta; Stratton Pollitzer of Equality Florida and Miami attorney Elizabeth Schwartz, who specializes in nontraditional-family issues.
Friday, November 20, 2009
PFLAG National to Attend the Eleventh Annual Transgender Day of Remembrance
Today, on the eleventh annual Transgender Day of Remembrance, we honor the memory of our transgender and gender non-conforming family members and friends tragically lost to anti-transgender hatred and violence over the past year. As we all take a moment to remember the tragic and senseless losses of so many amazing transgender and gender non-conforming people within our communities, we continue to work hard at not only passing laws like the recently enacted Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, but also educating our communities about what their rights are and opening up dialogues on how to address the very real and systemic problems of transphobic and homophobic violence within and beyond our local communities.
We remain outraged at the countless forms of discrimination our transgender and gender non-conforming loved ones experience on a daily basis and we will continue working hard to develop policies and resources to help support those individuals who have survived anti-transgender hate crimes. In fact, we recently sent out our monthly FYI, which provides important strategies on how to support a community member who has survived a hate crime, educate local communities about existing laws that can help address the problems of hate violence and tips on how to launch an advocacy campaign aimed at developing relationships with local law enforcement officers along with other social justice organizations and community leaders to help tackle the very real problems of hate biased crimes and violence. Furthermore, we continue to fiercely advocate for the passage of critical legislation aimed at protecting our transgender and gender non-conforming family members in an effort to ensure that equal opportunities are available to everyone, including those most vulnerable in our communities.
Today, we encourage you to join one of the many important community vigils honoring our fallen transgender and gender non-conforming family and friends. Many of us at PFLAG National plan to join the Washington, DC Transgender Day of Remembrance Vigil to be held at the Metropolitan Community Church (474 Ridge Street, NW) at 6:30 pm. If you live in the area and/or are visiting, please be sure to attend this important ceremony. If you are interested in attending a community event in your area, please be sure to view the official Transgender Day of Remembrance website for events held in or around your specific location. Tonight let’s be sure to honor both those that we have tragically lost to anti-transgender hatred, and also to recognize and support all of the brave advocates who continue to take a bold stance against tolerating hate violence in our communities.
We remain outraged at the countless forms of discrimination our transgender and gender non-conforming loved ones experience on a daily basis and we will continue working hard to develop policies and resources to help support those individuals who have survived anti-transgender hate crimes. In fact, we recently sent out our monthly FYI, which provides important strategies on how to support a community member who has survived a hate crime, educate local communities about existing laws that can help address the problems of hate violence and tips on how to launch an advocacy campaign aimed at developing relationships with local law enforcement officers along with other social justice organizations and community leaders to help tackle the very real problems of hate biased crimes and violence. Furthermore, we continue to fiercely advocate for the passage of critical legislation aimed at protecting our transgender and gender non-conforming family members in an effort to ensure that equal opportunities are available to everyone, including those most vulnerable in our communities.
Today, we encourage you to join one of the many important community vigils honoring our fallen transgender and gender non-conforming family and friends. Many of us at PFLAG National plan to join the Washington, DC Transgender Day of Remembrance Vigil to be held at the Metropolitan Community Church (474 Ridge Street, NW) at 6:30 pm. If you live in the area and/or are visiting, please be sure to attend this important ceremony. If you are interested in attending a community event in your area, please be sure to view the official Transgender Day of Remembrance website for events held in or around your specific location. Tonight let’s be sure to honor both those that we have tragically lost to anti-transgender hatred, and also to recognize and support all of the brave advocates who continue to take a bold stance against tolerating hate violence in our communities.
Arizona Workers Sue to Keep Benefits
From Wednesday's Advocate comes news that state employees in Arizona are suing to keep domestic-partner benefits from becoming a casualty of budget cuts.
Ten state workers, represented by Lambda Legal, filed suit Tuesday in U.S. district court in Tucson, saying a plan to end the benefits discriminates against gay and lesbian employees.
Under a budget deal approved by the state legislature last summer and signed into law by Gov. Jan Brewer in September, Arizona would no longer offer benefits for domestic partners but would retain them for heterosexual spouses. Domestic-partner benefits are scheduled to end November 24, according to court documents.
“This is an issue of equal pay for equal work,” Lambda Legal staff attorney Tara Borelli said in a press release. “By stripping away these vital benefits from loyal state employees, the state isn't just paying them less for the same work than their heterosexual colleagues — it's pulling away a vital lifeline that all workers need. This is simply cruel and saves the state next to nothing.”
The release goes on to quote lead plaintiff Tracy Collins, an Arizona highway patrol officer, who relies on the coverage for her partner of 11 years, Diana Forrest, and their family. “I put my life on the line every day for the people of Arizona just by going to work,” Collins said. “Though the stress of working a dangerous job takes a toll on my family, I'm proud to be a public servant. But losing Diana’s health coverage will put us in a desperate situation.”
Other plaintiffs in the case, Collins v. Brewer, include employees of state universities and the Department of Game and Fish.
Ten state workers, represented by Lambda Legal, filed suit Tuesday in U.S. district court in Tucson, saying a plan to end the benefits discriminates against gay and lesbian employees.
Under a budget deal approved by the state legislature last summer and signed into law by Gov. Jan Brewer in September, Arizona would no longer offer benefits for domestic partners but would retain them for heterosexual spouses. Domestic-partner benefits are scheduled to end November 24, according to court documents.
“This is an issue of equal pay for equal work,” Lambda Legal staff attorney Tara Borelli said in a press release. “By stripping away these vital benefits from loyal state employees, the state isn't just paying them less for the same work than their heterosexual colleagues — it's pulling away a vital lifeline that all workers need. This is simply cruel and saves the state next to nothing.”
The release goes on to quote lead plaintiff Tracy Collins, an Arizona highway patrol officer, who relies on the coverage for her partner of 11 years, Diana Forrest, and their family. “I put my life on the line every day for the people of Arizona just by going to work,” Collins said. “Though the stress of working a dangerous job takes a toll on my family, I'm proud to be a public servant. But losing Diana’s health coverage will put us in a desperate situation.”
Other plaintiffs in the case, Collins v. Brewer, include employees of state universities and the Department of Game and Fish.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
The True Story Behind the Fight for Marriage Equality in DC
Earlier today the Center for American Progress held a conference call on religion and the fight for marriage equality in Washington, DC.
One of the speakers on the call was Rev. Dennis Wiley, the pastor at Covenant Baptist Church, an open and affirming, predominately African-American church in the District's poorest ward.
You can listen to his entire speech by clicking here.
In part, Rev. Wiley refuted the notion that being gay in the District is a white, upper class issue. He says, "The black church and the black community…have been characterized by some as being united in opposition against same-sex marriage, and this could not be further from the truth. Black people are not monolithic, we are diverse just like all other human beings.”
“Same-sex marriage is not a white issue—from experience, it is also a black issue. Countless same-sex couples have expressed a deep appreciation in our church, and even those outside of our church have expressed this same appreciation of our policy of acceptance. Some have even testified, those who have become a member of our fellowship, that our inclusive ministry has literally saved their lives due to the emotional and traumatic experiences they have encountered elsewhere, where they have been rejected.”
You can view the entire transcript of today's call by clicking here.
One of the speakers on the call was Rev. Dennis Wiley, the pastor at Covenant Baptist Church, an open and affirming, predominately African-American church in the District's poorest ward.
You can listen to his entire speech by clicking here.
In part, Rev. Wiley refuted the notion that being gay in the District is a white, upper class issue. He says, "The black church and the black community…have been characterized by some as being united in opposition against same-sex marriage, and this could not be further from the truth. Black people are not monolithic, we are diverse just like all other human beings.”
“Same-sex marriage is not a white issue—from experience, it is also a black issue. Countless same-sex couples have expressed a deep appreciation in our church, and even those outside of our church have expressed this same appreciation of our policy of acceptance. Some have even testified, those who have become a member of our fellowship, that our inclusive ministry has literally saved their lives due to the emotional and traumatic experiences they have encountered elsewhere, where they have been rejected.”
You can view the entire transcript of today's call by clicking here.
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