Around The Nation

Pennsylvania

ACLU Sets May 3 Deadline For Apology To Transgender Student Issak Wolfe

RED LION. PA -- A spokesperson for the American Civil Liberties Union told reporters Monday that legal action will be sought in the case of the transgender student who was barred from participating in a prom election in his gender identity.

Molly Tack-Hooper noted that although that Issak Wolfe, a senior at Red Lion Area High School had been allowed to attend Saturday's prom with his girlfriend, school officials still had not apologised for the actions of principal Mark Shue following the prom court election controversy.

Shue decided to place Wolfe on the prom court ballot two weeks ago under prom queen and under his birth name of Sierra Stambaugh. That action was despite Wolfe's identifying himself as a transgender male for several years and asking to run as a prom king candidate.

Tack-Hooper noted that the apology is part of a letter dated April 26 sent to the district. A Friday, May 3 deadline was set by the ACLU for a response by Red Lion.

"There's very clear liability for the school district," Tack-Hooper said.

The had also been a potential controversy erupt over the school's initial refusal to allow Wolfe's 19 year old girlfriend, Taylor Thomas, a Red Lion graduate, from attending prom on Saturday because she made critical remarks about Red Lion on Facebook. 

Tack-Hooper said Shue that relented after conversations between school officials and the ACLU. Wolfe's father, William Stambaugh said; "Everything went fine. It went off really well."

One of the other listed demands in the ACLU letter is to allow Wolfe to participate in the graduation ceremonies as a male, wearing the boys' graduation garments, which are black, instead of the yellow cap and gown for girls.

The organisation also asked that school officials notify Wolfe that they will announce him as "Issak Wolfe" at graduation and allow him to wear the black boys' cap and gown.

Wolfe said he understands the diploma, which is a legal document, would still have his legal name on it, since he hasn't changed it yet. But the other recognition of his gender matters.

"It's embarrassing at this point in my life to have my name read as the wrong name," Wolfe said. "I don't want to be forced to wear yellow because I'm not a girl. My family and I both want this so they can remember it the right way."

Red Lion Superintendent Scott Deisley has repeatedly declined to comment on the situation telling reporters that he wished to "respect the privacy" of those parties involved.

Connecticut

ESPN Standing By NBA Reporter Chris Broussard 

BRISTOL, CT -- ESPN is standing by NBA reporter Chris Broussard after his controversial comments about Jason Collins. In an appearance on ESPN’s Outside the Lines, Broussard was asked for his personal opinion on Collins’s comments, and he didn’t hold back. He said he believes homosexuality is an “open rebellion” against God.

ESPN's Josh Krulewitz said the network regrets that a discussion of personal viewpoints became a "distraction." The network offered its own view of Collins' news: "ESPN is fully committed to diversity and welcomes Jason Collins' announcement," it said in a statement released Monday.

During his appearance on Monday' broadcast Broussard  said;

"Personally, I don’t believe that you can live an openly homosexual lifestyle or an openly premarital sex between heterosexuals, if you’re openly living that type of lifestyle, then the Bible says you know them by their fruits, it says that’s a sin. 

If you’re openly living in unrepentant sin, whatever it may be, not just homosexuality, adultery, fornication, premarital sex between heterosexuals, whatever it may be, I believe that’s walking in open rebellion to God and to Jesus Christ. 

I would not characterize that person as a Christian because I do not think the Bible would characterize them as a Christian.” 

Broussard in an online message on Tuesday said that he had previously discussed his point of view about homosexuality publicly.

"I realize that some people disagree with my opinion, and I accept and respect that," he wrote. "As has been the case in the past, my beliefs have not and will not impact my ability to report on the NBA. I believe Jason Collins displayed bravery with his announcement ... and I have no objection to him or anyone else playing in the NBA."

Collins, in an interview with ABC News anchorman George Stephanopoulos on Good Morning America Monday evening, said of Broussard’s comments, “I am a Christian. I will state that very proudly…. You can’t please everyone." Collins later qualified his remarks in a follow up interview with The New York Times on Tuesday, noted that he is a Christian, too.

"This is all about tolerance and acceptance and America is the best country in the world because we're all entitled to our opinions and beliefs but we don't have to agree," he said. "And obviously I don't agree with his statement."

Around The Nation

New York

Bill Introduced In New York Against Reparative Therapy Or Gay Conversion Therapy

ALBANY, NY -- A pair of New York City state lawmakers introduced a bill Friday that seeks to ban reparative therapy more commonly referred to as "Gay Conversion Therapy." The measure is modeled after a new California law that bans licensed therapists from using the practice on minors. 

"There are often challenges to any manner of legislation that is protecting of the LGBT community and you can't sit on your hands and wait until things get resolved somewhere else," said Democratic State Assemblywoman Deborah Glick, who cosponsored the bill along with fellow New York City Democrat Senator Brad Hoylman. Glick, became the first openly Lesbian lawmaker in New York in 1990, while Hoylman is the state senate's only openly gay member.

Conversion therapy has been a source of intense controversy as American medical and scientific organizations have expressed concern over conversion therapy and consider it potentially harmful. Mainstream health organizations critical of conversion therapy include the American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association, the National Association of Social Workers, and the American Academy of Pediatrics. The American Psychiatric Association has condemned "psychiatric treatment, such as reparative or conversion therapy which is based upon the assumption that homosexuality per se is a mental disorder or based upon the a priori assumption that the patient should change his/her sexual homosexual orientation."

The highest-profile contemporary advocates of conversion therapy tend to be fundamentalist Christian groups and other right-wing religious organizations. The main organization advocating secular forms of conversion therapy is the National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH), which often partners with religious groups.

Glick noted that that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youths make up 40 percent of the homeless population in America, and they are often kicked out of their homes by parents who want them to change their orientation.

"You start to hear the same stories over and over again," Glick said. "'They tried to make me straight and they took me to ...,' or, 'I couldn't become – and so they threw me out,' " Glick said adding;

"The rate of suicide, the level of depression, the kind of bullying in school that is focused on homophobic epithets, even when students clearly are not gay. So there's clearly an issue about being more supportive toward gay youth. And then you have folks who have made a business out of this alleged ability to make gay people straight." 

The California measure is currently on hold as federal courts weigh in on its constitutionally after two separate lawsuits were filed contesting the law. Liberty Counsel, who is challenging the law on behalf of NARTH, issued a statement that said;

"The California governor and legislature are putting their own preconceived notions and political ideology ahead of children and their rights to get access to counseling that meets their needs. 

This law undermines parental rights. Mental health decisions should be left to the patient, the parents, and the counselors – not to the government to license one viewpoint."

Brad Dacus, president of the Pacific Justice Institute, a conservative legal group that brought another of the federal lawsuits challenging California's legislation, described the law as "draconian and closed-minded."

New York City based psychiatrist Dr. Jack Drescher, one of the nation's leading experts on sexual orientation and gender identity expressed another viewpoint;

"If you really want to educate the public about the risks of these treatments, the fact that there are states that have outlawed these treatments should be a chilling fact," he said.

Danish Scientists Say They May Be Closer To A Cure For HIV

Courtesy of Aarhus University Hospital Centre

By Brody Levesque | AARHUS, DENMARK -- Danish medical scientists and researchers at Aarhus University Hospital have announced that they believe that there will be a breakthrough in finding a cure for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) “within months."
Researchers are testing a new technique that involves flushing the virus from so-called reservoirs in human DNA where the HIV virus is stripped from human DNA and then destroyed permanently by the body’s immune system.

HIV infection is a condition caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The condition gradually destroys the immune system, which makes it harder for the body to fight infections.

The Telegraph UK reported that the results of the trial tests, where the technique has already been proven to work in laboratory, now has shifted to human trials currently being conducted.

The results of the laboratory tests convinced the Danish Research Council to awarded 12 million Danish Kroner ($2.97 million) to carry out clinical trials on humans.

“I am almost certain that we will be successful in releasing the reservoirs of HIV. The challenge will be getting the patient’s immune system to recognize the virus and destroy it. 

This depends on the strength and sensitivity of individual immune systems,” Dr. Ole Sogaard, a senior researcher at the Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark, said.

Dr. Sogaard also noted that 15 patients are currently taking part in the human trials and if those patients respond to positively to the treatment then the programme will be expanded. Sogaard cautioned that certain behaviours; such as unprotected sex and sharing needles remained of paramount importance in the fight against HIV and that a cure is not the same as a preventative vaccine.

According to the National Institutes For Health in Bethesda, Maryland, the current regime of medications and treatment make it possible for an HIV-POS patient to live live a relatively normal life with few side effects even into old age, but if treatment is stopped then symptoms reappear within two weeks. 

The Danish research team is using a technique utilising powerful drugs called Histone deacetylase inhibitors, (HDAC) which, have a long history of use in psychiatry and neurology as mood stabilizers and anti-epileptics and also as treatments for cancers and inflammatory diseases. The treatment potential was discovered almost by accident when Timothy Brown an HIV sufferer developed leukemia. He had a bone marrow transplant from a donor with a rare genetic mutation, which made his cells resistant to HIV. Brown, who became known as "the Berlin patient," became the first man to ever be fully cured of the disease.

His case caused a revolution in research, with two new principal approaches. The first is gene therapy, which is expensive and not easily transferable to gene pools around the world, and aims to make a person’s immune system resistant to the HIV virus. The second being the HDAC inhibitor approach.

Worldwide the number of new infections in adults has become broadly stable for the past 4 years. In 2011, 0.77% of the world’s population or 34 million people were recorded as suffering from HIV, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Russian President Threatens To Ban Adoptions For Nations That Legalise Same-Sex Marriage

Russian President Vladimir Putin * File Photo

By Brody Levesque | NOVO-OGAREVO, RUSSIA -- Speaking to reporters Friday at this presidential estate, just west of the Russian capital city, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that agreements with other countries on the matter of adoption of Russian children may be changed to ban such adoptions if those countries legalise same-sex marriage.

Putin's remarks came in response to a question regarding a proposal by Marina Orgievoy, head of the regional parliament of Kaliningrad, who, referring to the recent change in France legalising same-sex marriages, had publicly criticised French lawmakers. Orgievoy,  noting the Russian-French agreement, said the agreement must be modified, "so that our children do not fall into the same-sex families."

Currently, Russia’s Family Code does not allow adoption by same-sex couples.

Putin agreed telling the assembled press corps;

“She is right. We have to react to what is going on around us. We treat our partners with respect, but we ask that they treat with respect the cultural traditions, the ethic, legal and moral norms of Russia. I believe I have the right to introduce changes into such documents. This is a topical question; we need to think about this.” 

As same-sex marriage legislation moves through the Parliament of the UK, the Russian foreign ministry’s human rights envoy, Konstantin Dolgov warned this week,

“The British and French parliaments have legalized same sex marriages. This narrows the chances of citizens of these countries adopting Russian children.”

Putin’s statement would imply that a legal ban could be adopted soon as policy by the Russian government.

France became the 14th country worldwide and the ninth in Europe to approve gay marriage this past week. In 2011, the most recent year for which figures are available, parents in France adopted 283 Russian children, while British parents took in 48. 

The adoption of Russian children has already become a highly emotionally charged political issue in the Russian Federation after Putin signed a ban on adoption of Russian children by U.S. parents in December. That prohibition was a response to numerous highly publicised incidents of abuse, and in a couple of cases deaths, of Russian children adopted by American parents.

There continues to be anti-gay sentiment expressed in Russia as Gay Pride events have been routinely vetoed by city authorities in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Novosibirsk and several regions of Russia have adopted a ban on “homosexual propaganda” among minors. Those laws have been used to detain LGBT rights activists who were carrying rainbow flags.

It was announced Friday that one of the leading Russian LGBT rights activists, Aleksei Kiselyov, who fled Russia to avoid prosecution by the Putin government for his protest activities, was granted political asylum in Spain Thursday and that the Spanish government granted Kiselyov a five-year permanent resident permit.

Around The Nation

District Of Columbia

ENDA Reintroduced In Congress

WASHINGTON -- The Employment Non-Discrimination Act, (ENDA) was reintroduced Thursday in both chambers of Congress but without changes in the legislation that were previously under consideration.

The House version was reintroduced in the House by Colorado Democrat Jared Polis, who took the lead on the legislation after the retirement of former Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank last year. In the Senate, the legislation was reintroduced by Oregon Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley.

The measure would prohibit discrimination in hiring and employment on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity by civilian, nonreligious employers with at least 15 employees.

In a release Thursday morning, four leading equal rights advocacy groups noted;

"Despite the remarkable progress - cultural, political, and legal - that LGBT people have made in recent years, there are currently 34 states that lack workplace non-discrimination laws that are fully inclusive of LGBT people. This patchwork of protection continues to leave LGBT people vulnerable to workplace discrimination. 

We hear the stories every day from our clients and the tens of thousands of LGBT people who contact LGBT legal organizations like ours every year. In a country that values fairness and equal treatment under the law, we believe the current situation is unacceptable."

The release from ACLU National, Lambda Legal, National Center for Lesbian Rights, and the Transgender Law Center also went on to note that an improvement to ENDA included removing language that would have reaffirmed the portions referencing the Defense of Marriage Act, which is currently under consideration by the Supreme Court to rule on DOMA's constitutional status.

Tico Almeida, president of Freedom to Work, said his organization will push for a committee vote and movement on the Senate floor for ENDA “as soon as possible.” He also said that GOP interest in the Senate version seemed minimal at best noting to a local Washington D.C. newspaper;

“ENDA had a recent committee hearing where not a single Republican senator bothered to show up to express any opposition or even ask questions about the drafting of the bill, so I think Chairman Harkin should schedule the committee vote on ENDA as soon as possible in May or June,” Almeida said. “It would be great to have ENDA teed up to go to the Senate floor in July.”

Pennsylvania

High School Student Denied Chance To Run In Prom Court Race Under Own Gender

Courtesy of Issak Wolfe

YORK, PA -- Prom court voting is over now and with prom set for Saturday, there's one senior at Red Lion Area Senior High School who is unhappy at an arbitrary decision by the school's principal, that left him excluded from the prom court election.
18 year old Issak Wolfe, who is openly transgender told a local paper decided he wanted to run for prom king, complete with making flyers and posters. He said he double-checked with the prom committee and the prom's faculty adviser, who all assured him that he would be listed on the ballot for prom king. 

However, last Wednesday as Wolfe and his friends gathered in the school's cafeteria to vote, they found that not only was he not listed, but his given female birth name was instead and under the heading for "Prom Queen."

"For a transgendered person, it is degrading to have that, and I wasn't even warned," 18-year-old Wolfe said. 

Wolfe spoke with a guidance counselor and other staff members who informed him that Red Lion principal Mark Shue had decided to switch him to his legal birth name and list him as such on the prom queen side.

Wolfe told the York Dispatch that he's had a generally positive experience being a transgender student in a rural high school and although  he hasn't undergone surgery yet to complete the transformation, he plans on doing so soon.

When Wolfe and his father William Stambaugh finally were able to talk to Shue, the principal justified his decision telling them it was based on tradition and he wasn't comfortable putting Wolfe on the boys' side of the ballot.

"He [Shue] said the king was always a male and the queen was always a female. And he feels that's the way it should be," William Stambaugh said. 

Stambaugh said the district has generally been supportive of his son, and the family's frustration is about this specific incident. He added that while he understands Shue is trying to do his job as a principal, he said that; "I wish he made a more progressive decision."

Wolfe's story went viral over the weekend with a Facebook page post regarding the principal's action coupled with a Change.org petition and a Reddit entry.

Responding to press inquiries Tuesday, Red Lion Superintendent Scott Deisley, via a written statement declined to comment, stating it would be best for the safety and well-being of Red Lion students to "respect our privacy in this matter."

Wolfe says at this point the damage is done and still wants an apology for the embarrassment and for missing out on the possibility of getting on prom court on his own terms. He also told reporters that he has reached out to the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, (ACLU) to help prevent his situation from happening to another transgendered student at another school.

"I would like an apology, at a minimum," Wolfe said. "I wasn't given a fair opportunity. I mean, if I don't win, I don't win ... but I'm not a queen."

Today's Headlines From LGBTQ Nation Magazine

R.I. Senate leader plays key role in marriage equality debate

Lesbian teacher fired by Catholic school to take her case to city hall

NFL agrees to new measures to protect gay athletes

Still no justice for murdered South African lesbian activist Noxolo Nogwaza

Duke University to offer health insurance coverage for transgender students

Lawmaker who said gays are a health risk seeks to make amends with gay colleague

Advocacy groups pressure Senate to include gay couples in immigration reform

Iowa GOP lawmakers target Supreme Court justice pay over gay marriage vote

BREAKING: Rhode Island Senate votes in favor of marriage equality bill

Around The Nation

Florida

Lake County School Board Tables GSA Rules For School Year

LEESBURG, FL -- Efforts to start-up a Gay-Straight Student Alliance club at a local middle school effectively failed after school board members voted to table discussions about proposed rules for the club.

Bayli Silberstein, an openly bisexual 14-year-old, at Carver Middle School in Leesburg has led the campaign to start the GSA to counter bullying at the school and give LGBT students a safe haven.

The controversy started after Silberstein applied to form the gay-straight alliance and said her application was denied last school year, and when she reapplied last November, she never received a response from the school’s principal about whether it was approved or denied.

The school board had considered eliminating all non-academic clubs from middle and high school campuses instead of allowing a student to form a gay-straight alliance, only backing off after the American Civil Liberties Union, citing the federal Equal Access Act, advised the school district that it cannot pick and choose which clubs to allow based on what they think students should or should not discuss.

Silberstein left Monday night's school board meeting fighting back tears after board members voted 4-1 to table a final vote that could have allowed the proposed GSA to form before the end of the school year.

At issue now reports the Orlando Sentinel, is a newly passed tweak in state law, [Senate Bill 1076, which was signed by Republican Governor Rick Scott Monday and goes in effect July 1.] which does not clearly define which grades are protected by a federal law that bans schools from discriminating against non-academic clubs.

School Board attorney Steve Johnson told the board that based on his review of other Florida laws, it appears "secondary" schools mean high schools — not middle schools. The School Board, in his opinion, isn't required to apply the federal law to middle schools, and board members can create rules however they want in those grades, he told members. But without any action Monday, campus principals are now left to decide handle school clubs.

Board members said they wanted to take more time to "workshop" the rules in light of the tweak in state law, partially called for by School Board members Tod Howard and Bill Mathias. Both men opposed the middle school GSA, suggesting that middle-school children were too young to be discussing gay-straight issues. Mathias recommended to table the issue and was joined by Howard, Chairwoman Kyleen Fischer and fellow board member Debbie Stivender.

"You're talking workshop," Fischer said. "That is the only way we can do this."

Board member Rosanne Brandeburg voted against the tabling, saying said she "wanted the public to be able to speak" and, because of the action, people could not comment on the policy. Brandeburg would not say whether she favored the middle school gay-straight club but said she was against getting rid of all clubs because of one.

Joyce Hamilton, an ACLU regional director told reporters after the vote that the ACLU was disappointed by the move and will evaluate whether or not to take legal action.

"I am concerned about the environment that is now created in the school that is being perpetuated by the adults who profess … to have the best interest of all students in mind," she said.

Silberstein said she will continue to push for the GSA to be allowed;

"I'm going to keep fighting," she said. "It's not going to stop me. I'm doing all I can to try and get my club."

Idaho

Idaho DMV Changes Rules For Transgender Licence Requirements

BOISE, ID -- The Idaho Transportation Department this week agreed to new regulations allowing transgender drivers to change the sex designation on their driver's licenses without a note from a surgeon after members of the state's transgender community through the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) people complained that previous policy violated their civil rights.

Commencing in April 2011, the state agency began requiring a signed surgeon's note signifying the individual “had undergone a complete surgical change of gender.” Early this year, two people said they were blocked from getting their driver's licenses, based on this policy.

According to Vincent Villano, Director of Communications for the National Center for Transgender Equality, a Washington, D.C. based trans advocacy group, only a fraction of people undergoing a gender transformation do so through a surgical intervention, others utilize hormone treatments. 

The agency will now require a court order or affidavit from a doctor attesting to a gender change, according to a policy signed by director Brian Ness on Monday.

“We're glad that the state has recognized the important and legitimate needs of transgender Idahoans,” said Monica Hopkins, executive director of the ACLU of Idaho. 

“All Idahoans should be able to get a driver's license that correctly reflects who they are without disclosing sensitive personal information completely unrelated to their ability to drive. The state did the right thing in updating its policy.”

The agency said officials would be available to discuss the new regulation late Tuesday afternoon.

The ACLU said that people who are transitioning to a different gender say a driver's license reflecting the previous gender creates the potential for “outing” in situations where it's necessary to show proof of identity.

That's not only an unwarranted privacy intrusion, Hopkins said, but could create personal safety problems. In addition, many people who change their gender designation undergo only hormone treatments, not surgery, which is expensive and often unnecessary to allow for a person to live within their identity.

“What you have is a state agency basically setting a medical standard for something that isn't a medical standard,” said Hopkins, of the previous regulation. “These are medical decisions that are made between a patient and physician or medical care giver.”

Compiled from staff and wire service reports.

LGBT Activists In Albania Meet With Prime Minister

Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha, Centre with
LGBT Rights Activists Xheni Karaj, (L) and Kristi Pinderi, (R)

By Brody Levesque | TIRANA, ALBANIA -- Albanian Prime Minister, Dr. Sali Berisha, in a historic first for this tiny Balkan nation, met Monday with two LGBT activists to express his full support for LGBT Equality Rights and Same-Sex marriage. Berisha, who is seeking a third term as Prime Minister, told Xheni Karaj from the Aleanca Kunder Diskriminimit LGBT (Alliance Against LGBT Discrimination) and Kristi Pinderi, Executive Director of United for the rights of LGBT in Albania, that he appreciated the hard work they and their organisations had performed to advance LGBT rights in the country.

Berisha himself had announced in July 2009 that he would support the recognition of same-gender civil marriages.

“I have carefully followed all your actions and I think that you have, so far, responded in a very good way whenever that has been necessary,” the prime minister said, adding that “it is important to believe in the cause you represent. 

[…] To tell you the truth, [in the beginning] I have felt sorry when the debate about LGBT issues was going on and no one from the community was able to go publicly and defend the cause. So, I really appreciate that you both have appeared on television and have brought the LGBT issues to public attention,” Berisha said. 

Albania decriminalized homosexuality in 1995 and LGBT persons in Albania are protected under a comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation passed in February of 2010 by the Albanian Parliament. The law banned discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity in all areas, including employment, the provision of goods and services, education, health care, and housing. Albania is one of few European countries to explicitly ban discrimination on the basis of gender identity. The law also exceeds EU minimum standards, which require that employers refrain from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

Even with those protections codified in law, Albania is still being called the most homophobic European country with 53% of participants in a March 2013 European Social Survey of 1200 Albanians saying that they are opposed to homosexuality.

Some prominent Albanian officials have previously expressed their opposition to LGBT rights such as when in 2010, the Albanian Deputy Commissioner for Labour, Social Affairs and Health, Tritan Shehu, declared that "homosexuality should be treated by medical staff as hormonal disorder, as well as psychological."  More recently, Vice-Minister of Defense Ekrem Spahiu said in December of 2012, “What remains to be done is to beat them up with a stick. If you don't understand this, I can explain it: to beat them with a rubber stick.”

Berisha criticised Spahiu in today's meeting with Karaj and Pinderi saying;

“This kind of declaration is unacceptable not only for a vice minister but for everyone.” He also added, "that every politician in this country should have a public stance on LGBT issues and should face them without fear or complexes."

The two activists also asked the Prime Minister about the recently proposed amendments of the penal code, amendments that are still in the process of approval in parliament. The amendments would include the criminalization of intentional harassment of LGBT people through digital medium such as social media. Berisha stated that he is carefully following the procedures and discussions for these amendments adding that he is fully supporting them. 

He suggested not to have a confrontational attitude whenever homophobic statements are made. The activists replied by stating that it's time for the LGBT movement to raise its activism to a more political level. “We want now to communicate with the main political actors in the country in order to solve our problems,” Karaj and Pinderi confirmed.

The Prime Minister guaranteed Karaj and Pinderi that his government will fully support the rights of assembly of the LGBT community, citing the Tirana Pride 2013 that was announced by the LGBT organizations to be held during this coming September.

Around The Nation

Florida

ACLU Demands A Polk County High School Allow GSA To Be Formed

LAKELAND, FL --  Last Thursday the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Florida, sent a demand letter on behalf of two student leaders from Kathleen High School in Lakeland, Florida to the superintendent of the Polk County School Board calling on the district to recognize the students’ Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) club in order to confront bullying and promote tolerance for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students.

According to the ACLU, Rory Teal and Brenna Pelland, two seventeen-year-old juniors at the high school have been working to establish the club since November 2012, but school officials have thus far not permitted them to do so.

“The bullying has been really tough at our school, and having this club would give kids a safe place to be themselves and it would put a stop to a lot of the bullying,” stated Pelland. “We just want our school to be a place where kids are respected for who they are, and a GSA can help make that happen.”

GSAs are student organizations made up of LGBT students and their straight allies that advocate for an end to bullying, harassment, and discrimination against all students.

“We’re really disappointed that the school hasn’t given us an answer yet, and with the end of the year coming up, we didn’t want to have to wait until next year to have the club meet to start trying to make KHS safer,” stated Rory. “We started doing research and found out that the ACLU had helped a GSA a few counties over.”

That situation was the case of Bayli Silberstein, an 8th-grader from Lake County who the ACLU is assisting in forming a GSA after the school board there had proposed a ban on all extracurricular clubs to prevent Bayli from forming her GSA. On Monday, April 22, the Lake County School Board will vote on a compromise plan which could allow the GSA to form.

“Brenna and Rory have a clearly-established right to create a GSA and to start working to make Kathleen High School a safer and more welcoming place for all students,” stated ACLU of Florida LGBT Policy Strategist Daniel Tilley. 

“We hope that school administrators recognize that, and that they give the GSA the same status and treatment as any other student club, as the law requires.”

The ACLU says it's clearly illegal for schools to deny students the right to start this type of club, so a common tactic used is to just keep putting students off in hopes that interest will dissipate.

Tilly, added the state has many similar cases — and the ACLU has won every one.

"In Florida, the law about allowing GSAs is so clear that it is astonishing that schools continue to believe they can just ignore federal law," Tilly, said.

After being contacted by Rory and Brenna, the ACLU sent a public records request to investigate the cause for the delay. Administrators told Rory and Brenna that the long delay in receiving a response about the GSA was due to the many club applications that had been filed and required review. ACLU’s public records request revealed that since July 2012 the total number of applications filed was two.

In addition to the ACLU of Florida’s work with Bayli Silberstein in Lake County, the ACLU has been involved in nine successful federal court cases upholding students’ rights to form GSAs at public schools. In 2008, the ACLU won a case on behalf of a GSA in which the Okeechobee County School Board paid $326,000 in attorneys’ fees. In 2012, the ACLU reached a settlement in a lawsuit against the School Board for Marion County, in which the judge ordered the school to officially recognize the Vanguard High School GSA. And in January 2013, the ACLU succeeded without a lawsuit in helping the students at Booker T. Washington High School in Escambia County form a GSA after students’ initial efforts were rebuffed by school administrators.

A copy of the letter sent by the ACLU is available here.

Senate Confirms Eric Fanning As Undersecretary Of The U. S. Air Force

Eric Fanning,(L) Photo courtesy of the U.S. Navy

By Brody Levesque | WASHINGTON -- In a voice vote Thursday, the U. S. Senate confirmed Eric Fanning, currently serving as Deputy Undersecretary of the U. S. Navy, as the incoming Undersecretary of the Air Force. Fanning, who is openly gay, was nominated to the second-highest civilian position in the Air Force by President Obama last August to succeed Erin Conaton who took over as the Pentagon’s personnel and readiness chief.

Fanning's duties will include recruiting, organizing, supplying, and mobilizing the assets of the Air Force. Fanning would help organize, train, equip, and provide for the welfare of more than 333,000 active duty Airmen, 178,000 Air National Guard and the Air Force Reserve members, 182,000 civilians, and their families.

In addition to representing the Air Force on behalf of the Secretary, the Undersecretary is the Air Force’s chief management officer, its senior energy official, and the focal point for space issues within Air Force Headquarters.

During his confirmation hearing, Fanning told Senators;

“I very much look forward to becoming a part of the Air Force family,” Fanning said in his confirmation hearing. “It would be my honor to play a role in making sure that the best men and women our country has to offer get all the support they need in undertaking the mission of defending our country, a mission for which they freely volunteered.”

A career civilian Defence Department official, Fanning has served as the Navy's deputy undersecretary and deputy chief management officer since July 2009. 

A graduate of Dartmouth College, Fanning has also worked on Capitol Hill during the Clinton years as a research assistant with the House Armed Services Committee and then later he served as associate director of political affairs at the White House.

In service to the LGBT community, Fanning also served on the board of directors of the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund from 2004 to 2007.

Around The Nation

Arizona

Top WNBA Draft Pick To Lesbian Girls- 'Be who you are.'

Brittney Griner  * File Photo

HOUSTON, TX -- Standing 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) tall, and wearing a men's US size 18 shoe with an arm span of 86" Brittney Griner, the Phoenix Mercury's 2013 WNBA number one Draft Pick, is an impressive figure both on and off the court, particularly with all the girls and young women who idolize her.
Principally because Griner likes to remind all those girls and young women who idolize her to just be themselves and not worry what others think. She should know as she never makes a big deal out of the fact that she is a lesbian, making no big coming-out announcement as she was selected by the Mercury. But as numerous sportswriters made note of as well, Griner does not hide from the topic either when it was pertinent to the issues being discussed. 

Griner, who was a rising star at Baylor University, is the first NCAA basketball player ever to score 2,000 points and block 500 shots. Last year, the three-time All-American was named the Associated Press Player of the Year and the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four.

In a pre-draft interview with USA Today on Monday, Griner brought it up herself while crediting her parents for always encouraging her to be herself no matter what cruel things people were saying about her.

"My parents didn't know at the time," she said. "I hadn't come out completely. It was kind of like, YOU KNOW … I just hadn't said it. My dad and my mom have always told me, 'Be who you are.' At the time, they probably weren't sure what I was interpreting that as."

During an interview with the Associated Press on Wednesday, she discussed it in the context of being bullied as a child.

“It was hard, just being picked on for being different, hust being bigger, my sexuality, everything,” she said. “I overcame it and got over it. Definitely something that I am very passionate about. I want to work with kids and bring recognition to the problem, especially with the LGBT community.” 

Griner and fellow recent WNBA draftees Elena Delle Donne and Skylar Diggins were also interviewed by Sports Illustrated's Maggie Gray, who asked why it's more accepted to be a gay athlete in women's sports than men's.

"I really couldn't give an answer on why that's so different. Being one that's out, it's just being who you are," Griner said. "Again, like I said, just be who you are. Don't worry about what other people are going to say, because they're always going to say something, but, if you're just true to yourself, let that shine through. Don't hide who you really are." 

Gray then asked Griner if her status as a famous athlete made it any more difficult to come out.

"It really wasn't too difficult, I wouldn't say I was hiding or anything like that," Griner said. "I've always been open about who I am and my sexuality. So, it wasn't hard at all. If I can show that I'm out and I'm fine and everything's OK, then hopefully the younger generation will definitely feel the same way."

Today's Headlines From LGBTQ Nation

NZ Parliament plans third and final vote tonight to legalize same-sex marriage

San Jose Earthquakes forward Alan Gordon suspended for gay slur

Boston PD early responder, LGBT liaison featured on Sports Illustrated cover

Westboro Baptist Church blames Boston Marathon bombing on ‘fag marriage’

Students at Catholic school in Columbus say teacher was fired because she is gay

Petition drive forces Royal Oak, Mich., to put gay rights measure on the ballot

Around The Nation

Hawaii

Judge Rules Against Hawaii Kai Bed & Breakfast Which Discriminated Against Lesbian Couple

HONOLULU, HI --  Hawaii First Circuit Court Judge Karl K. Sakamoto ruled Monday that an Oahu bed and breakfast, the Aloha Bed & Breakfast in Hawaii Kai, had violated the state's public accommodations law when two women were denied a room because they're lesbian. In his decision issued Monday, Sakamoto ruled on that the business must stop discriminating based on sexual orientation.

The case began in 2007 after Diane Cervelli, 42, and Taeko Bufford, 28, tried to book a room at the bed and breakfast, and after Cervelli specified they would need one bed, the owner asked if they were lesbians to which Cervelli acknowledged truthfully that they were. According to the court documents in the case, the owner, Phyllis Young, then told the couple that she was uncomfortable having lesbians in her house because of her religious views.

Speaking with the Associated Press after the ruling, Cervelli said; 

“In my past experiences in Hawaii, people have been so friendly. It was just hurtful. It made me feel we weren’t good enough.”

The couple sued Young in 2011, represented by Lambda Legal, which claimed that Young violated Hawaii’s public accommodation law, which prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation. In addition, the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission joined the lawsuit in order to protect and enforce the state anti-discrimination law.

[The public accommodations law prohibits establishments that provide lodging to transient guests from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation, race, color, ancestry, religion, disability and sex -including gender identity or expression.]

Lambda Legal Staff Attorney Peter Renn said;

“You can’t roll up the welcome mat when you see a lesbian or gay couple, just as you can’t refuse to do business with Jewish customers, African-American customers, or disabled customers.”

Young was being represented by the Alliance Defense Fund and Jim Hochberg, a Honolulu attorney, who said Monday the ruling doesn't consider her First Amendment rights.

"The public needs to be aware of this decision because it has far-reaching consequences," he said.

"The court's decision is based on Hawaii's strong state civil rights laws which prohibit discrimination," Hawaii Civil Rights Commission Executive Director William Hoshijo said.

"When visitors or residents are subjected to discrimination, they suffer the sting of indignity, humiliation and outrage, but we are all demeaned and our society diminished by unlawful discrimination."

The Associated Press contributed to this article. 

Brother Of Gay Man Who Died From Meningitis Criticises Media & City Councilman

By Brody Levesque | LOS ANGELES, CA -- The brother of Brett Shaad, the 33-year-old West Hollywood resident who died Saturday after contracting a deadly strain of bacterial meningitis, is lashing out at media coverage of his brother's death.

In a statement released Monday, Brian Shaad said his brother's death was made even more difficult on the family by false rumors and misinformation that was widely reported after West Hollywood city councilman  John Duran addressed media outlets Friday. 

“At a time when we should have been focused totally on Brett’s care, our family spent a huge amount of time and energy trying to correct the news reports that resulted from Duran’s statements,” said Shaad. 

“Eight days have now passed since Brett’s first symptoms, and this still remains an isolated case. No words can describe the loss we just experienced, Brett was nothing but heart and he loved his family and his friends with an unconditional love we were privileged to experience. He will be deeply missed forever."

During a press conference last Friday, Councilman Duran identified Brett Shaad as the patient who had contracted bacterial meningitis. Duran also warned the gay community of the potential spread of the disease and later said Shaad had been removed from life support and died.

In his statement, Shaad's brother wrote:

As many of you may be aware there has been huge amount of misinformation about the time, circumstances and details of my brother's death driven by a politically-motivated council member and inaccurate media reporting. This was started by sensationalist and erroneous public statements made by Councilman John Duran of West Hollywood, which were then reported by Ari Bloomekatz of the LA Times, and subsequently put out internationally by the Associated Press. 

This information was issued by Duran on pure rumor and innuendo. At no point was our family contacted to confirm the information publicly stated by Councilman Duran - and at no point did Ari Bloomekatz of the LA Times or the Associated Press reach out to our family to confirm the facts. 

To add insult to injury, the first article published wasn't even about my brother Brett. It was about Councilman John Duran, alongside a large, color photo of the Councilman in the LA Times. 

[...] The irresponsibility of Councilman Duran, the LA Times and the Associated Press in announcing the death of my brother before we even had the chance to tell family members and his friends outside of Los Angeles is outrageous. There are a number steps we will be taking to ensure that politically-driven actions by politicians and reckless reporting by the media can never do this to another grieving family again.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say catching the illness isn’t always a death sentence, but bacterial meningitis is usually severe. Those who survive might suffer serious complications including brain damage and hearing loss. According to the CDC, bacterial meningitis is not spread by casual contact, however kissing could cause transmission. Symptoms typically develop within 3-7 days after exposure, and include the sudden onset of: Stiff neck,  Fever,  Headache.

In the U.S., about 4,100 cases of bacterial meningitis, including 500 deaths, occurred between 2003 and 2007, the CDC reports.

Around The Nation

Nebraska

Western Nebraska Man To Stand Trial On Anti-Gay Hate Crime Charges

SIDNEY, NE -- Prosecutors are charging a 28 year old with Sidney man with committing a hate crime. According to Cheyenne County Deputy Attorney Jonathan Stellar, Nathan Pohl was initially charged with third-degree assault charges after an incident last month outside a local bar.

Stellar said that his office upgraded those charges with enhanced 'hate-crime' specifications making the crime a Class IV felony after police investigators learned that Pohl attacked his victim based on the victim's sexual orientation.

Court documents revealed that Sidney police were summoned to the bar shortly after midnight March 2 and responding officers observed several people outside the bar’s rear entrance. Witnesses pointed out Pohl to officers, who noted that they found standing outside with no shirt and blood visible on his face. Edward Hecker told officers that Pohl allegedly had struck him [Heckler] after seeing Heckler leaving the bar holding his boyfriend's hands.

Other witnesses told police investigators that Pohl had launched into a tirade of anti-gay slurs prior to his striking Heckler. One witness told police he believed that Pohl had assaulted Hecker “because Nathan stated that he doesn’t like gays,” the arrest affidavit said.

The enhanced charges were leveled against Pohl on March 19 and certified after Pohl's appearance in Cheyenne County Court this past Monday and the charges were bound over to Cheyenne County District Court for trial.

Court documents show that Pohl is currently out of jail after having posted bond.

Around The Nation

Texas

Texas University Student Government Votes To Opt Out Of Fees Used To Pay For Campus LGBT Centre

COLLEGE STATION, TX -- The Texas A&M student senate Wednesday passed a bill that allows students to opt out of paying fees that fund the school's LGBTQ campus centre on religious grounds. Prior to the final 33-38 vote, senators heard impassioned pleas and arguments from an overflow crowd that packed the senate chamber as a majority of students present testified in opposition to the measure according to the student paper, The Battalion.

The measure, "The Religious Funding Exemption Bill," which had been introduced weeks before as the "GLBT Funding Opt Out Bill," is designed to allow students to choose not to pay portions of their student fees to specific university services that conflict with their religious beliefs. The bill's title was changed and its language altered as to broaden its scope 24 hours prior to the senate session. Critics charge that even with those changes, there was only one targeted purpose for the legislation, defunding the LGBT centre.

Thomas McNutt, a senior political science major and one of the bill's principal authors said the goal of the bill is to use existing systems to ensure the religious freedom of every student.

“Texas A&M already allows [students to opt-out for religious reasons],” McNutt said. “And look, we are doing just fine. Nobody knew that they already allow it, so what we are asking for in this bill is for there to be a clear, advertised process.”

Levi Bohanan,  a sophomore, spoke in open forum on behalf of LGBT students and said while they were grateful for the responsive and respectful attitude of Senate "in communicating with GLBT Aggies," the ethical action would be to postpone voting on the bill because changes were made less than 24 hours beforehand. Amendments were passed that changed the title and substance of the bill at Tuesday’s Senate Finance Committee meeting.

The local paper noted that one student, Andrew Lupo, who identified as openly gay, spoke against the bill.

"The Religious Funding Exemption bill is a facade to deprive GLBT students of resources to create a safe environment," Lupo said to the senators. "I see so many of you, you're young -- 18 and 19 years old-- and there is a great future for you. Is this how you want to begin your career -- by attacking your own Aggies, your own community?" 

The Eagle went on to report that another student, Aaron Ackerman disagreed and compared forcing students to pay for the GLBT center to forcing doctors to perform partial-birth abortions.

"Our decision here is not going to reach that far," Ackerman said. "I just want to show how dangerous a philosophy is that some organization, government or otherwise, can make a person do what is against their most deeply held beliefs."

The debate has polarised the university which is seen as a traditionally conservative school since the measure's introduction at the beginning of the spring term. The 2012 Princeton Review's "LGBT-unfriendly" list ranked Texas A&M as the seventh least-friendly LGBT public university nationwide.

The bill now goes to student body president John Claybrook, who has not indicated if he will sign or veto the measure.

"I don't wish students to be disenfranchised with this or anything that this body does because these are students who have a home here and who are cared about by thousands and thousands and thousands of students. The actions by a few should not make them feel like this is not their home," he said.

Gay Student Leader's HIV Status Outed In A Poster Smear Campaign

HOUSTON, TX -- Campus police at the University of Houston Downtown launched an investigation last week after a poster surfaced that detailed private medical information about a gay student's HIV status.

Junior Kristopher Sharp, who had announced an interest in running for student body vice-president, was called into the UHD Dean of Students Tommy Thomason's office last week and given a copy of a flier that had been found at numerous locations around the campus. The front of the flier had the words “WANT AIDS?” above a picture of Sharp with a large X on it, and “Don’t support the Isaac and Kris homosexual agenda” at the bottom. [ Junior Isaac Valdez is Sharp's running mate.] On the back was medical information from a physician visit, including his HIV status and prescribed medication, along with his home address and telephone number. 

Director of Media Relations Claire Caton told LGBTQ Nation that the university is actively pursuing an investgation into the matter and trying to find the person or persons responsible.

“We’re taking this incident very seriously,” Caton said. “Of course, any time our students’ rights are violated, we take that very seriously.”

In an interview with a Houston alternative newspaper, Sharp said;

"I was initially really devastated that this could happen. What was going through my head was, 'How quickly can I transfer?'"

"I've never seen anything like this -- this is the very first time anything like this has occurred [on campus]," he added. 

"There's a culture at UHD that is somewhat less accepting of LGBT youth, but something of this magnitude is completely mind-blowing. I knew, going into the election, that I could possibly be targeted because of my sexuality -- but I had no idea that it would go to this level." 

According to campus university police officials, because proper words such as AIDS and homosexual were used on the flier versus offensive slang it is considered Free Speech and is protected. However, the involuntary public disclosure of the medical status without permission does fall under criminal statues in the Texas Criminal Code.

Sharp however is not interested in pursuing criminal charges. He doesn’t want anyone to go to jail — just an apology.

“I just want to know why they did it,” Sharp said. “Truth be told, we can keep that between us, as long as the person comes forward and speaks to me. I’ve been able to reflect, and I really just want an apology.”

 Illinois

Film critic & longtime LGBTQ community supporter Roger Ebert dies

CHICAGO, IL -- Roger Ebert, the Pulitzer Prize-winning movie critic for the Chicago Sun-Times who was known for his "thumbs up, thumbs down" critiques of films, has died according to the paper Thursday. He was 70 and had battled cancer in recent years.

Last month the famed critic and columnist had written a column entitled, “How I Am a Roman Catholic,” in which he said he still considers himself a practicing Catholic, although he disagrees with the official church stance on LGBTQ equality rights and same-sex marriage. “My feeling is that love between consenting adults is admirable,” he wrote.

Ebert who started as a movie reviewer for the Chicago Sun-Times in 1967, gained national recognition and prominence in his syndicated TV programs on which he reviewed films, first in partnership with the late Chicago Tribune critic Gene Siskel, then later with Sun-Times colleague Richard Roeper. He and Siskel were known for their trademark practice of giving “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” to the movies they reviewed.

Wednesday Ebert posted a blog entry that said he was taking a “leave of presence” and allocating some of his duties to others because of the return of his cancer. He had been unable to speak since 2006 when he suffered complications after surgery for thyroid cancer.

Survivors include his wife, Chaz.

LGBTQ Life

Climbing Everest [ & Other Heights ] In the Name of LGBT Equality

Courtesy of Cason Crane

LUKLA, NEPAL -- Tenzing-Hillary Airport, named in honor of Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest, is the final destination where most people start the climb to Mount Everest Base Camp. For twenty-year-old Cason Crane, a gay activist from Princeton NJ, who arrived there Tuesday it was a quick stopover for breakfast and then off to start the ascent of arguably the world's most famous mountain.

Crane will be the first openly gay person to attempt this feat, in addition to becoming the fifth youngest person ever to scale Everest.

An adventure-seeker and risk-taker, Crane has traveled to over 70 countries on all seven continents. In his journeys he has rafted for weeks through uninhabited jungle, ridden on horseback across Mongolia, and backpacked through some of the most remote corners of the world. He is passionate about combining his loves for exploring the world and contributing to good causes.

Crane is currently climbing seven of the world's highest mountains to raise money and awareness for The Trevor Project, a suicide prevention and crisis intervention service for LGBTQ youth, in an initiative called The Rainbow Summits Project. [For more information on The Rainbow Summits Project: www.rainbowsummits.org.]
In the past, he has volunteered at orphanages in China and Ethiopia, worked in a drug rehabilitation center in Thailand, helped to mitigate human-elephant conflict in Sri Lanka, and sought to bring alternative energy to Haiti.

In addition to instilling in him a love of travel, his parents encouraged him to pursue his athletic goals and love of the outdoors from a young age. He participates competitively in a number of sports, including running, swimming, triathlon, and mountain climbing. 

To keep track of Crane as he makes his assault on Everest follow him on Twitter: @casoncrane

The Trevor Project was founded by writer James Lecesne, director/producer Peggy Rajski and producer Randy Stone, creators of the 1994 Academy Award®-winning short film, Trevor, a comedy/drama about a gay 13-year-old boy who, when rejected by friends because of his sexuality, makes an attempt to take his life.