Politics & Policy

'Hold Putin to account at G20 and Council of Europe,' Members of the European Parliament argue

By Mark Singer & Brody Levesque | BRUSSELS, BELGIUM -- As opposition to Russia's stance on LGBT rights and special anti-gay legislation- which has been codified into law by Russian lawmakers- grows, members of the European Parliament are calling on EU leaders and the Council of Europe to denounce Russia’s increasingly forceful crackdown.

The European Parliament's Intergroup on LGBT Rights has sent a letter to EU leadership asking them to raise these important matters during the G20 summit which is to be held in St. Petersburg, Russia next week.

Citing the Russian Foreign Agents law as an example, which requires that requires LGBT nongovernmental organizations (NGO's) to register as “foreign agents,” Michael Cashman MEP, Co-President of the LGBT Intergroup, said:

 “Whether it is the propaganda laws, the Foreign Agents law or more legislation restricting the rights of minorities and migrants, Mr Putin’s regime is following a dangerous path. 

EU leaders cannot ignore that more red lines have been crossed, and they must hold Mr Putin to account at the G20 next week.”

A spokesperson for the Intergroup on LGBT Rights told LGBTQ Nation Thursday that besides the "frontal assault" on LGBT rights, Russia's increasingly hostile positions are also including several laws that were adopted to curtail the rights of ethnic minorities, and attack other NGO's defending human rights.

The Human Rights Watch, an advocacy and watchdog organisation reported in June that seven Russian groups have already been taken to court, of which five have lost administrative cases and have been ordered to pay fines and register.

Another 15 organizations received direct notices of violation from federal prosecutor’s warning that they may face administrative charges if they fail to register as “foreign agents.” Authorities have also warned at least 38 other groups to register as “foreign agents” if they receive foreign funding and plan to carry out “political activities.” Persistent failure to register can lead to an organization’s suspension and criminal charges against its leader. 

The spokesperson for the Intergroup also noted that recently a judge in St. Petersburg declared the Side by Side LGBT Film Festival a “foreign agent” in May fined it 12,500 euros for not registering as required by Russia’s new Foreign Agent Law. 

Another group, the St. Petersburg-based organisation Coming Out was recently fined €11,400, and its Director €6,800, [Euros] forcing them to shut down.

The laws have also directly led to an increase in violent attacks against LGBT people, particularly vulnerable closeted LGBTQ youth and other ethnic minorities.

Sophie in ‘t Veld MEP, Vice-President of the LGBT Intergroup said that the Intergroup membership has also asked the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers to consider suspending Russia’s right to vote in the organisation, according to Article 8 of its own Statute.

”Russia is chipping away at the three central pillars of modern Europe: democracy, the rule of law, and human rights. It’s time for the Council of Europe to take action and suspend Russia’s voting rights,” she said adding, 

“Mr Putin is losing the plot: these laws don’t reflect Russia’s values, they don’t reflect European values, they reflect Putin’s ever-tighter hand of steel. It’s high time to act!”

The European Parliament already adopted a resolution on the rule of law in Russia in June this year.

The Intergroup is an informal forum for Members of the European Parliament who are committed to upholding the fundamental rights of LGBT people. Members of the Intergroup would usually take a positive stance on LGBT issues when they draft reports or amendments, when they vote in the Parliament, or when they deal with constituency affairs.

The Intergroup currently has 153 members, who are all democratically-elected Members of the European Parliament. Its work is led by 6 Presidents, and the day-to-day work is carried out by the Secretariat of the Intergroup.

Around The Nation

Kentucky

Kentucky's Capital City Passes Fairness Ordinance

FRANKFORT -- During a special session Thursday the Frankfort City Commission voted 3-2 to pass an ordinance banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in the areas of housing, employment and public accommodations. The state's capital city joined four others, Louisville, Lexington, Covington and Vicco in passing an ordinance protecting lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people. 

In the months leading up to Thursday's vote the ordinance had undergone several amendments and public hearings, many of which had been marked by rancor and contentious debate. According to the local The State Journal newspaper, the ordinance became locally notable for its split of progressive and conservative religious leaders, particularly Baptist ministers, who often spoke at meetings.

Ordinance supporters wearing blue “Another Kentuckian for Fairness” T-shirts became staples at commission meetings. Opponents also regularly appeared, many arguing the ordinance would further reverse discrimination against Christians who disagree with homosexuality.

Currently Federal and state laws do not recognise sexual orientation and gender identity among protected classes, such as race and age, but the new local law will add those.

The new measure does however, provide exemptions. The language of the ordinance would permit employers with fewer than eight employees an exemption for their hiring practises and those city residents who lease rooms out of their private homes are also exempt.

Minnesota

Transgender Candidate Enters 2014 Minnesota House Race

Courtesy of Paula Overby

EAGAN-- A 59-year-old transgender quality assurance analyst has filed her federal paperwork, entering the race for Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional District.

During a phone interview Friday with LGBTQ Nation, Paula Overby said that her application and filing fees were executed last week and Overby said she is now the third Democrat challenging Republican incumbent, Representative John Kline. She also stated that she believes she is the first openly transgender person from Minnesota to run for a Congressional seat. 

Overby is facing a tough primary contest against her Democratic primary opponents, former state Representative Mike Obermueller (D) and  Thomas Craft, a private sector technology solution consultant, particularly as her campaign is in its nascent stage and her opponents have already raised considerable funding for their respective campaigns.

That fact doesn't deter her she said explaining that her focus is on community events, town hall meetings, phone calls and face to face contact prospective constituents. She pointed out that at least one of her opponents, former state representative Obermueller has run against Kline in two previous campaigns, losing in part she thinks because his messaging was media driven and filled with ads that didn't necessarily address the concerns of the voters in the district who would have been inclined to vote for a Democrat.

In her view, there was inadequate challenge(s) to the "far right agenda" of the GOP incumbent whom she notes has voted lock-step with the House GOP majority.

Minnesota’s 2nd district is considered a Republican stronghold and covers the south Twin Cities metropolitan area and includes the cities of Burnsville and Eagan, the largest in the district.

Overby said that she also has spent considerable time going door to door in the district meeting with prospective constituents, listening to the issues that directly affect them.

"Conversations build relationships and relationships build community," she said.

When asked if she had encountered any negative reactions to her gender identity she indicated that out of nearly 2000 plus people she had spoken with thus far, only two have reacted in a negative fashion. She said that she has been active in LGBT equality rights advocacy along with women's rights for over a decade in the state including the successful campaign to legalise same-sex marriage in Minnesota. Generally she says she has found acceptance among her fellow Minnesotans.

Overby says that she sees a direct connect between women's rights issues and LGBT equality rights.

"I support programs that encourage individual responsibility and economic independence for women by increasing the economic value of roles traditionally assumed by women. 

Successful family and community values are best served by shared responsibilities. I respect the pursuit of wealth but the role of women and families should not be compromised by this pursuit. 

I oppose solutions that consistently portray women as helpless victims and aggressively divide families into traditional roles of caretaker and provider."

Overby points out that the average voter will connect with her message that common sense has left politics and needs to be returned to public policy.

The Democratic Primary is scheduled for Tuesday, August 12, 2014.

Politics

City Councilwoman faces ethics complaint

Elisa Chan via San Antonio City Government 

SAN ANTONIO -- City Councilwoman Elisa Chan is facing a potential ethics violation after a complaint filed by a city resident accuses Chan violated city policies by using city staff, time and property for a "partisan political purpose."

D'mitri Kosub, who resides in city district Chan represents, filed the sworn complaint the City Clerk's office Tuesday based on the on the secretly-recorded staff meeting this past May where she used homophobic language and discussed her possible political aspirations on city time. 

The May 21 meeting between councilwoman Chan and her staff was intended to chart policy strategy and response for the city’s plan to update its non-discrimination ordinance to include protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Kosub, a Democrat and political strategist told Texas Public radio in an interview that the city's ethics code is built on the idea that our shared city resources should not be used for that kind of activity.

"It is critical that our elected officials avoid the appearance of bias or favoritism when they create and execute policies," read the statement. "I have filed this complaint because I am concerned that Councilwoman Chan may have misused city resources and may have failed to avoid the appearance of bias or favoritism in the formulation of policy decisions." 

"But once a representative is elected and sent to do business on behalf of all constituents, I think that it's really important that they work very hard to avoid even the appearance of bias or favortism, and that rather than working for just their small partisan political constituency, that they work for the district that they were elected to represent as a whole," he said.

The City Clerk's office Thursday confirmed to LGBTQ Nation that the complaint will be reviewed by City Attorney Michael Bernard before going to the Ethics Review Board for consideration.

Wednesday evening, the San Antonio City Council Chambers were at capacity as nearly 477 people waited to speak before the council about the city’s hotly debated proposed Non-Discrimination Ordinance. 

The ordinance would add sexual and gender identity to the list of protected classes. But in the wording of the ordinance, some opposing it say it would discriminate against those who do not agree with homosexuality.

Opponents argue it will restrict religious freedom and freedom of speech.

World News

Australia

Political Party promises to give straight newlywed couples $200 cash voucher

By Desmond Rutherford | CANBERRA, Australia -- In a recent voter's guide published by the Australian Christian Lobby anticipating the upcoming federal elections next month, the opposition coalition party was asked: “What will your party do to encourage marriage and resilience in couple relationships?” 

Opposition leader Tony Abbott's Liberal National Coalition responded with;

“The Coalition will provide a $200 voucher to all couples when they register their intention to marry, which will be redeemable on an approved marriage education, counselling or parenting skills service. 

Couples can use this voucher before or after their wedding to choose the service that best suits their needs, be it one which assists in developing communication skills, conflict resolution, financial management, parenting skills, or for counselling services if problems arise in a marriage.”  

The party has been a staunch defender of the concept of one man, one woman as is the current legal definition of marriage in Australia with Abbott refusing to allow his party members to stray from the party line and vote their conscience in any proposed parliamentary roll call vote on any measure that would move to legalise same-sex marriages in the country.

On the coalition's website it states:

“The Coalition policy supports the current definition of marriage contained in the Marriage Act.”

When asked for a clarification of the $200 voucher by the Sydney Morning Herald, a source in Abbott's office told the paper that the $200 vouchers will be used for “pre-marital counselling”, and added that same-sex couples would not be excluded from the initiative, and will be able to put the $200 voucher towards “relationship counselling.”

“Some people on Twitter have expressed outrage that while the Coalition doesn't support same-sex marriage, it would shell out cash to straight couples to get hitched,” the Herald published Monday.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who has been locked in a tight election race against Abbott has expressed his support for same-sex marriage.  Rudd's  Australian Labor Party’s policy on the issue is stated on the ALP's website:

“The Rudd Labor Government believes that all people are entitled to respect, dignity and the opportunity to participate fully in society regardless of their sexuality. 

“When the issue of same sex marriage has previously been considered by Parliament, Federal Labor has allowed each MP and Senator a conscience vote according to their own personal views. 

“This reflects the fact that people of good will can hold different positions on this fundamental matter.”

Some political observers see this latest maneuver by the Liberal National Coalition as no more than an election campaign ploy to garner votes.

Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported that the latest Nielsen poll on Aug. 23 showed the opposition Coalition group headed by Abbott's Liberal National Party with a 6-point lead -- 53 percent to 47 percent.

Policy & Politics

Wal-Mart expands benefits to include same-sex domestic partners 

STAFF REPORTS | BENTONVILLE, Arkansas -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc. says it now will extend its health care benefits to its U.S. workers' domestic partners, including those of the same sex.

The nation's largest private employer said Tuesday that the changes were made so it could have one uniform policy for all 50 states at a time when some states have their own definitions of what constitutes domestic partnerships and civil unions.

In a memo sent out Monday by Sally Welborn, Walmart's Senior Vice President of Benefits, to all employees, Welborn stated: 

This week our associates will receive a pre-enrollment postcard at their homes announcing the dates for annual enrollment and providing highlights of the 2014 benefit offerings. Among the information highlighted on the postcard: We will cover domestic partners in the medical, dental, vision, life, critical illness and accident plans. This means Walmart will offer these benefits to an associate’s same- or opposite-sex spouse or unmarried partner. For details on who qualifies and some important tax considerations, you’ll find more information on WalmartOne.com/postcard.

She added:

It’s a business decision, not a moral or political decision. We operate in 50 states, hundreds of municipalities and Puerto Rico, and as clarified under the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), each of these states are developing different definitions of marriage, domestic partner, civil union, etc. By developing a single definition for all Walmart associates in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, we are able to ensure consistency for associates across our markets. 

[...]

Given the diverse world we live in today, a comprehensive benefit package that includes domestic partner benefits appeals to the contemporary workforce. Many companies, including most of our competitors, already offer spouse/partner benefits to their employees. Of 30 retail competitors, all but two (Publix and Stop and Shop union plan) provide either same- or opposite-sex domestic partner coverage. 

Your behavior matters. The words you use also matter. We are counting on you to be thoughtful, supportive and understanding of multiple viewpoints. Your visibility can make a big difference to how associates feel.

The Bentonville, Ark.-based discounter has 1.3 million full-time and part-time U.S. workers. More than half of the workers participate in health care plans, according to a company spokesperson.

Employees will be able to enroll their domestic partners from Oct. 12 through Nov. 1.

Justice Watch

How will The U. S. Military Handle Bradley Manning's Request to Be 'Chelsea'

WASHINGTON -- Former soldier Bradley Manning, now known as Chelsea's request to be able live as a woman raises questions about transgender issues in the military. The U.S. soldier is sentenced to 35 years in prison. Will he be able to receive hormone therapy treatments behind bars? 

PBS anchor Ray Suarez speaks with Allyson Robinson, a private U.S. military consultant and LGBTQ advocate.

WATCH:

World News

Russia

Russian parliament considers ban on blood and organ donation by gay people and offers reparative therapy

By Brody Levesque | SAINT PETERSBURG, Russia -- A prominent Russian LGBTQ equality rights activist and the organizer of St. Petersburg Pride criticised a bill to ban on blood and organ donation by gay people currently being considered in the Russian Federal Duma (Parliament).

According to LGBTQ rights campaigner Yury Gavrikov, the measure introduced by Federal MP Mikhail Degtyarev, who is also a Moscow mayoral candidate, has spread misinformation about the amendment.

"Degtyarev's claims in the press that HIV-infected homosexual men make up 65% of total cases is completely wrong and his knowledge of not understanding the figures reflects the fact that he's an amateur in these matters and populist. 

He [Degtyarev]is counting on an ignorant layman who not only does not know what HIV is, yet he will not be able to explain the difference between HIV and AIDS." Gavrikov  said Monday.

Gavrikov cited a recent report from the Russian Federal AIDS Center, which published information that outlined that for the year 2012, among the new HIV cases nearly 60% were injecting drug users, a little less than 40% - infection through heterosexual transmission and less than 2% - men who have sex with men who are gay, and bisexual. Moreover that last year two-thirds of women becoming infected through heterosexual relations, three-quarters of men infected through injection." The activist added that the ban on blood donation for gay couples was in the Soviet Union and Russia until 2008.

Degtyarev's remarks came during a press conference last week in which the lawmaker also said that Russian parliamentarians were working on an added measure within the amendment which would be a government run initiative to offer gays voluntary anonymous consultations with psychologists, psychotherapists and sexologists that would help them to “return to normal life and become heterosexuals, as are 95 to 99 percent of our citizens.”

“We will suggest amendments to the law on donors that reintroduce homosexuality to the list of contraindications for blood donations in Health Ministry instructions,” said Degtyarev adding, "Russia could soon reintroduce the ban on blood and organ donations for gay men, but offer them free treatment facilitating ‘conversion’ to heterosexuals."

He added that he personally was not against LGBTQ pride events – as long as they did not violate the newly signed law banning "promotion of non-traditional sex relations to minors."

“The law presumes that they should not hold gay pride events when children can see them. But it is very possible to hold them at night, with flashlights and without amplifiers,” Degtyarev told reporters.

Russian Minister of Health's press secretary Oleg Salagay, told reporters that the experts would study the suggestion if it arrives in due order. Salagay also noted that, "when deciding on limitations lawmakers should consider both the human rights issues and the possible health risks." 

Salagay said that although Russia's ban on blood donation for gays had been lifted several years ago, he pointed out that and in many countries, including the USA, the ban on blood and organ donation for homosexuals is still in force, despite being a topic of debate.

Gavrikov reacted saying,

"In the donor centers in Russia, as in the European Union, the blood passes a full range of analyzes, including HIV and STIs. U.S. and Europe in the late 80's have already experienced a wave of myths about the gay cancer, as they called HIV. 

The West managed to reverse the situation, When prevention and education took up science and medicine, not religious fanatics and political populists like Degtyareva. 

We're still in the tail dragging stories. HIV, like the flu, knows no social boundaries - all at risk. Statistics in the world and Russia is confirmed . Such a law will throw Russia in the fight against the HIV pandemic has 10-15 years, as was the case with a number of countries as they tried to deal with the conservative restrictions." 

Today's Headlines From LGBTQ Nation Magazine

Alaska personnel board may recognize gay partners as ‘immediate family’

BREAKING: Second N.M. county begins issuing same-sex marriage licenses

Olympic committee president ‘comforted’ Russia will respect IOC Charter

ACLU calls on Tenn. school to reinstate LGBT ‘safe space’ classroom posters

Judge orders N.M. county clerk to issue marriage licenses to gay couples

Putin signs decree banning rallies, demonstrations in Olympic Sochi

Transgender woman dies after brutal Harlem assault

Fla. condo board reverses policy after uproar from gay rights activists

Police identify suspect in slaying of transgender Calif. woman

San Antonio mayor fires back at LGBT advocacy group over travel warning

Homeland Security employee behind racist, homophobic website

George Takei to receive LGBT advocacy leadership award

Cab driver loses license after leaving lesbian couple on side of interstate

N.M. Supreme Court rules against photographer in gay bias case

N.M. county continues issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples

Politics

Mayor Slams LGBT Activist Group's "Travel Advisory"

San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro

SAN ANTONIO -- As the controversy over the LGBT nondiscrimination ordinance continues to roil political discussions in this southwestern Texas city, San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro fired back at a travel alert issued by LGBT activist group GetEQUAL Texas.

The “travel alert” was issued after a city council session last week during which an openly gay and highly decorated former U. S. combat Marine was booed after voicing his support for the ordinance, and the disclosure two days later of a secret recording of City Councilwoman Elisa Chan making homophobic and disparaging remarks about LGBT people.

The alert warns lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender travelers to avoid San Antonio until the city takes action on a hotly debated nondiscrimination ordinance. The advisory also claimed that city officials have “repeatedly delayed a vote on the ordinance,” and that Councilwoman Elisa Chan and others have “been very vocal in their opposition.”

Castro, aiming his ire at a travel alert fired back Tuesday;

“This advisory unnecessarily stands to hurt the city. The fact is that San Antonio always has been and remains welcoming to all. The city has a history of welcoming all visitors," he said adding [that the city] "is set to vote in two weeks on a nondiscrimination ordinance that will provide protections for the LGBT community."

Castro noted his record of supporting gay marriage and the city's 2011 adoption of benefits for domestic partners of city employees. The city also added sexual orientation to the categories of protections for its employees in 2007, he said.

Discussing Councilwoman Chan's comments, the mayor noted that her comments illuminate a “level of bias and ignorance that's astonishing, adding, “We're going to take up this issue on Sept. 5, and my hope is that Councilwoman Chan will support the ordinance,” he said. “We can bring the council and community together in support of a well-written ordinance that respects individual beliefs and protects from discrimination.”

Castro said the timeline for adoption of the ordinance has not been significantly delayed. “This schedule has been in place for quite a while now, and we're set to vote on September 5," he said.

In the first half of 2013, the San Antonio Police Department documented six hate crimes — offenses “against persons, property, or society” with motives involving “race, religion, ethnic/national origin, gender, age, disability, or sexual orientation.” According to FBI hate-crime statistics, Texas ranked 10th among U.S. states in the number of reported hate crimes in 2011, with 152 incidents. That year, San Antonio had two reported hate crimes, both linked to sexual orientation.

“As the No. 1 leisure destination in Texas, we welcome millions on an annual basis, and the safety and comfort of all our visitors is a top priority for us,” said Casandra Matej, executive director of the San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Around The Nation

New Mexico

New Mexico Woman Suffering from Life-Threatening Brain Cancer Asks Court to Let Her Marry Her Partner of 21 Years

SANTA FE -- Lawyers for a New Mexican Lesbian couple filed an emergency request Wednesday with New Mexico’s Second Judicial District Court to allow the Pojoaque, N.M. couple to legally marry immediately because one of the women suffers from a severe medical condition that may prove fatal in the immediate future.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Mexico, and the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) filed an emergency request on behalf of Jen Roper and Angelique Neuman, declaring in the court paperwork that Roper suffers from a life-threatening form of brain cancer, and her health has deteriorated severely in the past few months.
The request seeks an emergency order from the court that would allow the couple to marry so that Neuman and their three children will be legally protected should Roper pass away. 

"I want to know that my family will be protected if I pass away," said Roper. "Angelique and I have been married in our hearts for 21 years and raised three wonderful children together. 

Because of my illness, we do not have the luxury of waiting years for the courts to decide whether loving, committed same-sex couples can marry in New Mexico. For us, the time is now."

According to the couple, they met in Socorro, N.M. during their first semester at New Mexico Tech University, and fell in love almost immediately. Although the State of New Mexico does not recognize their relationship, the couple considers themselves married for the 21 years they have been together. The couple settled in Northern New Mexico after the United States government's Los Alamos Labs hired Neuman to work as an engineer. Later, they adopted three siblings from the New Mexico foster care system. Their oldest child is enlisted in the U.S. Army and is currently in basic training.

Due to Roper's sudden and severe illness, the couple cannot travel out of state to marry in a place that does not discriminate against same-sex couples. The only way they can hope to protect their family in this time of crisis and realize their dream of being legally married is for the New Mexico courts to grant emergency relief that would allow the County of Santa Fe to issue them a marriage license now, while the case proceeds.

"Even when I was a little kid, I always dreamed of growing up and getting married," said Neuman. "I knew Jen was the one almost as soon as we met, and I don't want to lose the opportunity to marry her. 

It is very important to us that our relationship is recognized as what it is: a marriage."

Tennessee

Lesbian detective's family asked to repent or leave church forever over their support of her and her wife

COLLEGEDALE -- The suburban Chattanooga city of Collegedale's decision to grant benefits to same-sex couples was a victory for veteran police detective Kat Cooper and her wife Krista. However, the decision by the city, the first in the state of Tennessee to offer benefits to same-sex spouses of its government employees, came at a tremendous cost to her family.

Cooper's mother Linda, who had stayed by her daughter's side throughout the months long process to win council approval for the benefits, holding her hand literally and hugging her after the August 5th 4-1 City Council vote, found herself meeting with the leadership of her church who told her and her relatives they were no longer welcome to be members or attend services.

The Chattanooga Times reported that in the eyes of the church's pastor, Ken Willis, the family's support of Cooper was as good as them making an endorsement of homosexuality as acceptable.

Detective Cooper told the paper;

"My mother was up here and she sat beside me. That's it," said Cooper. "Literally, they're exiling members for unconditionally loving their children -- and even extended family members."

Cooper's family had been members of the church for over six decades and were told that the only way they'd be allowed to remain as members of the congregation was if they repented their sins, in this case, their supporting the detective and her wife.

"The sin would be endorsing that lifestyle," Willis said. "The Bible speaks very plainly about that."

They were given an ultimatum: They could repent for their sins and ask forgiveness in front of the congregation. Or leave the church.

Willis said the church didn't expect the Cooper family to disown their daughter.

"But you certainly can't condone that lifestyle, whether it's any kind of sin -- whether they're shacked up with someone or living in a state of fornication or they're guilty of crimes," he said. "You don't condone it. You still love them as a parent."

Cooper's father said his wife is still too distraught over the church's actions to comment.

"She is just so traumatized and so upset," he said. "It has been days and she's still crying. It's almost like losing a family member."

Cooper's parents were practically founding members of the Ridgedale Church of Christ according to Cooper. Her father was a church elder and his picture still hangs on the wall there. Cooper grew up helping her grandfather clean the pews and helped her grandmother hang bulletin boards for Sunday school.

Cooper and her wife were married in Maryland this last May.

Nebraska

State's High School Sports Governing Board Delays Transgender Policy

LINCOLN -- The Nebraska State Activities Association board of directors said Wednesday that it will allow member schools to decide whether they want the association to set a policy for handling eligibility issues with transgender students. The NSAA is comprised of middle and high schools throughout the state. It administers championships and rules for school athletics and activities.

The Journal Star reported Wednesday that NSAA Executive Director Rhonda Blanford-Green said that having the membership move the issue forward is the best and most open way to draft a policy. 

Blanford-Green told the paper she had previously put a policy on the NSAA's website after a general board discussion in November which would have required students who want to participate in sports with members of the gender opposite from their biological gender to prove their gender identity through the testimony of experts such as hormonal experts and psychologists.

Blanford-Green said that officials later realised that the policy had not been voted on nor approved and it was removed from the website.

Omaha attorney Joni Stacy, who a board member of Omaha's Parents, Families and Friends of Gays and Lesbians, (PFLAG) chapter, offered to be a resource for board members as they discuss a policy, which she said is supported and mandated by the federal government.

Blanford-Green was an associate commissioner of the Colorado High School Activities Association, prior to her current position, where she helped lead the efforts to adopt policies establishing the rights of transgender student-athletes to switch teams. Colorado was among one of the first two state athletic associations in the country 

"Having a policy would allow Nebraska to be proactive, not reactive, on eligibility issues involving transgender students," she said. 

"It would ensure the association treats all students equitably. It's not about advocacy," she added, "it's about education and making decision that are not discriminatory and are in compliance with federal law."

The Associated Press contributed to this article.

Politics

Texas

San Antonio City Official Doubles Down On Anti-Gay Remarks

SAN ANTONIO -- The San Antonio, Texas city councilwoman who was secretly recorded during a staff meeting last May 21, in which she said homosexuality is “so disgusting” and “against nature,” said in a press conference Tuesday that “political correctness will not win the day” and she stood by what she said.

Elisa Chan told reporters and her supporters crowded into the media briefing room in City Hall she stands by her beliefs and alleges that her recorded comments were taken out of context; she also said she has an expectation of being able to be safe and free to express her personal opinions during those meetings. Chan added she would “not change my own values of beliefs for political gain or survival.”

Chan also took aim at her former aide James Stevens, who she accused of violating the confidentiality agreement he had signed which was a prerequisite for employment with her office.

In an interview Monday with a local media outlet she said;

“The comments from the staff meeting on May 21st were and are my personal opinions and thoughts as guaranteed to me by the 1st amendment to the U.S. Constitution,” said Chan, in a statement. “It is unfortunate that a former member of my D9 Council team betrayed the trust of my staff members and me. I will fight, I will always fight for our freedom of speech, especially in a private setting.”

Chan also took aim at San Antonio Express-News columnist Brian Chasnoff who had first broke the story last Friday accusing him and the paper of taking her language in the recording “out of context” in its reporting on the matter.

Chan said she was unavailable for comment when the story broke this past weekend because of a pre-planned family vacation to celebrate her daughter's birthday.

WATCH:

Around The Nation

Newly signed laws offering protection for Transgender students and banning ex-gay therapy draw challenges from opponents 

By Brody Levesque | A pair of separate measures, one signed into law by California Governor Jerry Brown, (D) last week offering protection for the state's transgender students and another measure signed Monday by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, (R) have opponents filing legal suits.

Attorney's for Liberty Counsel are intending to mount legal challenges to have federal courts issue an injunction to block the law in New Jersey as the legal actions move forward and in California conservative legal group, The Pacific Justice Institute, has begun soliciting plaintiffs for a prospective lawsuit to be filed next year, when the new transgender rights bill formally takes effect..

Brown signed a law, which goes into effect on January 1, 2014, last week which requires that California public schools respect students’ gender identity and makes sure that students can fully participate in all school activities, sports teams, programs, and facilities that match their gender identity.

Critics charge that allowing students of one gender to use facilities intended for the other could invade the other students’ privacy. 

“We respect that some students are struggling with their own sexual identity, but we ask for respect for the other students who will be humiliated when a boy walks into the girl’s locker room,” said Karen England, executive director of Capitol Resource Institute. ”This is a privacy issue, a safety issue, and a common sense issue.”

Equality California's executive director John O'Connor, speaking about the proposed referendum said;

 "This is a predictable move by fringe groups that oppose all pro-equality measures and that historically have lacked the capacity to successfully execute similar efforts. AB1266 is an historic civil rights bill ensuring all students have the opportunity to participate and succeed in schools, including transgender students. EQCA and our partners will remain vigilant about monitoring the situation."

The new law is the first of its kind in the country and it is unclear how school districts will withstand likely legal challenges.
In New Jersey Governor Christie signed a bill Monday barring licensed therapists from trying to turn gay teenagers straight, making New Jersey the second state to ban so-called conversion therapy, along with California.

The bill passed both houses of the Legislature with bipartisan support in June. Assemblyman Tim Eustace, D-Bergen, who sponsored the bill and is openly gay, described the therapy as “an insidious form of child abuse.”

In a note accompanying the bill, Christie said he believes people are born gay and that homosexuality is not a sin.

Matt Barber, Vice President of Liberty Counsel Action, which has vowed to launch legal action in U.S. District Court to block the measure told LGBTQ Nation in an email;

“It’s unconscionable that Gov. Christie would sign this politically-motivated attack on New Jersey children and parents into law. He’s just torpedoed any chance he had at the White House in 2016.
[...]
“The connection between homosexual abuse and ‘gay identity’ is undeniable. This law would enslave children to an identity that they reject. Talk about depression and risk of suicide. This law means that if a girl or boy begins to experience unwanted same-sex attraction as a result of sexual molestation by the likes of a Jerry Sandusky, a counselor is legally prohibited from helping them resolve their unwanted attractions and reconcile those attractions with their values. They must, instead, affirm that the child victim is now ‘gay’ and tell them to just live with it.
“This isn’t George Washington’s America. This is Joseph Stalin’s Russia.” 

World News

Kazakhstan wants to ban gay 'propaganda'

ASTANA, Kazakhstan -- A lawmaker in Kazakhstan's parliament intends to close down Gay clubs, pride parades, and all forms of "homosexual propaganda." MP Aldan Smaiyl said that he intends to introduce a bill modeled on the Russian version signed into law in June by Russian president Vladimir Putin that banned public mention of LGBT issues  including pride parades, festivals, or even same-sex couples holding hands.

Smaiyl told local media outlets that he had filed a request with the country's Prime-Minister this past spring, [2013] asking the government to take action.

“I asked to ban gay-clubs, demonstrations and any and all of these disgusting relations. I received a reply that Kazakhstan had no such law (allowing to close the clubs),” Smaiyl said.

He added that he would work on introducing the law after the summer break when Parliament is back in session noting that his constituents were supportive of his efforts.

“I will raise this issue in the Social-Cultural Development Committee of the Majilis [Lower House] first, and then talk to the deputies. This should not continue the way they are now,” Smaiyl said.

Another lawmaker, Murat Akhmadiyev, told media outlet Tengrinews.kz that he believes that homosexuality 'propaganda' is not something that should even be put up for a discussion in Kazakhstan;

“Ideally there should not even be any discussions about it, as homosexuality is a clearly unacceptable behavior. We have always said that our country is different, not like Europe."

Akhmadiyev added that he believes Kazakhstan should remain firm and stand up for its principles and laws even as the international community criticizes its intolerance to the LGBT community. Akhmadiyev also said banning same-sex relationships is inappropriate, but, the further "spread of homosexually" in Kazakhstan "should be harnessed and suppressed."

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California

Californian Inland Empire school district changes policies for LGBT students

SAN BERNARDINO -- The Hesperia Unified School District announced Thursday that it will implement policies supporting LGBT students after the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California (ACLU) had sent a letter demanding that officials step in to end discrimination against LGBT students by teachers and administrators.

This past March, the ACLU and the law firm Nixon Peabody LLP sent an 11-page letter to Hesperia Unified School District Interim Superintendent David McLaughlin, charging that charged Sultana High School administrators had fostered a hostile and harassing climate for LGBT students. 

Teachers and administrators have made discriminatory comments about gay people, and have not stepped in to stop bullying by students, the letter stated.

In one incident, a teacher told a student who commented that he did not have a valentine on Valentine’s Day, that that’s “because you’re gay and nobody wants to be with you.” In another, an administrator referred to a gay student’s campaign for homecoming queen as a “joke.” Another teacher told a student to “take the gay headband off.”

The letter also states that girls are being told they must wear dresses to the prom and boys tuxedos and students are instructed to wear gender-specific attire for their yearbook photos, in violation of state and federal laws.

Additionally, administrators have censored the Gay Straight Alliance’s public announcements, flyers and activities such as movie screenings.

In an Aug. 7 letter responding to the claims, the district said that over the years there were some isolated incidents directed at members of the club. But it denied many of the claims and said there was no evidence of a culture of discrimination.

But administrators also determined that “there are policies, procedures and training that it can establish, clarify or reinforce which will lead to a safer, more supportive and compassionate learning environment for all of our students.”

Levi Johnston, a Sultana student who graduated this year told the LA Times;

"I’m so happy LGBTQ students will be attending Sultana in the same building but with what I hope will be a completely different and positive environment,“ Johnston said adding “I feel proud that, by taking a stand, our GSA changed things for the better for current and future LGBTQ students at Sultana.”

The ACLU said it is sending letters to all the school districts in San Bernardino and Riverside counties with information on its LGBTQ Student Rights Project.

Indiana

New LGBT minor course at Purdue University

WEST LAFAYETTE, IN -- The director of the LGBTQ Center at Purdue University told the campus student newspaper the Exponent, he's excited about a new LGBTQ minor course offered by the College of Liberal Arts.

Lowell Kane noted that there are students whom are already on the waiting list for the first class required to complete the minor: ANTH 282, “Introduction to LGBT Studies.” 

“This is indeed an exciting time in our nation to engage in and broaden the conversation around LGBTQ issues,” Kane said. “The new minor is a true collaboration between students who advocated for this field of study, academics who are engaged in critical research around gender and sexuality, and the LGBTQ Center, which engages the entire Purdue University community through providing enriching resources, educational programming and support services.”

Purdue had introduced the course this past March and according to Kane university officials may consider offering the course as a major depending upon its success with students.

“Students will be introduced to complex and dynamic scholarship, global perspectives, challenging and exciting concepts, and new understandings of current events that impact their own daily lives and the world around them,” Kane said. 

“This approach, coupled with the broad range of experiences and identities brought into each classroom by the students who participate in the minor, will advance our mission to develop scholars who are prepared to succeed in a rapidly diversifying global market.”

Evelyn Blackwood, the professor of anthropology who will be teaching the course noted that the minor isn’t just for students in the College of Liberal Arts because the minor can be applied to any workplace.

“This minor will prepare students to be able to work in a diverse environment where LGBT people are one of the diverse groups they will encounter,” Blackwood said. 

“It will also provide a foundation for students who are interested in working with LGBT clients in a wide variety of areas, including public health, nursing, social services, family counseling, law and social justice.”

Texas

GOP San Antonio City Councilwoman recorded telling staff that homosexuality is: “So disgusting!”           

Elisa Chan - Photo: San Antonio City Government

By Brody Levesque | SAN ANTONIO -- Republican San Antonio City Councilwoman Elisa Chan is heard telling staffers in an audio recording, during a May 21 meeting in her City Hall offices, that homosexuality is, “So disgusting!” In the secret iPhone recording Chan is heard expressing her belief that homosexuality was a choice and that LGBT people should not be allowed to adopt children.

The meeting's agenda was stated to chart policy strategy and response for the city's proposal to update its nondiscrimination ordinance, adding protections for sexual orientation and gender identity. 

James Stevens, 28 the former staffer who leaked the May 21 recording this week, told MySanAntonio.com;

"My decision to record in the first place was that, during the staff meetings, we weren't really discussing the ordinance itself," Stevens said adding "We were really just talking about ways to appeal to the (voting) base and to get them fired up as opposed to analyzing the ordinance. 

[Chan's] not focused on the policy itself and how it's going to really affect the city. We spent 80 percent of that meeting talking about how disgusting homosexuality is.”

Chan is heard telling her aides,

"By the way, this is politically incorrect. I don't think homosexual people should do adoption. They should be banned by adoption. You're going to confuse those kids. They should be banned. 

If you wanted to choose that lifestyle, we don't want to discriminate you, but you shouldn't affect the young people," she continues. "How terrible. ... They're going to be confused. You see two men go into a bedroom. You see two women kissing. Is that not confusing? It's confusing." 

"It is actually, what you call, suggestive, for the kids to be corrupt, which is against nature. I'm telling you, anything that is against nature is not right."

The recording also caught disparaging remarks from Chan's former chief of staff, Jeff Bazan, who is currently chief of staff for newly sworn in City Councilman Ron Nirenberg. In the recording, Bazan is heard warning,

“The road we're going ... incest and being able to marry animals, that's all going to happen.”

Bazan told media outlets in Texas Friday that his comments were taken out of context.

"I was basically explaining the viewpoint that some people have on the gay marriage issue. What I said was wrong and I deeply regret it."

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Eric Alva

Disabled Gay Iraq Combat Vet Booed By Anti-Gay Protesters

SAN ANTONIO -- A highly decorated and openly gay Iraq war combat veteran was booed by a crowd of anti-gay protesters during his speech to the San Antonio City Council meeting Wednesday evening.

Former Marine Staff Sergeant Eric Alva, a San Antonio native- who was the first American service member seriously injured in the Iraq War in March of 2003 when he stepped on a land mine and lost his right leg- was speaking in favor of a proposed addition to the city's nondiscrimination law that would add protections for sexual orientation, gender identity and veteran status.

As Alva spoke, many in the crowd of approximately 200 persons in the council chambers began to boo as he delivered his remarks.

Prior to the council session, local pastor and anti-gay rights advocate Charles Flowers led a prayer vigil and demonstration outside City Hall where he told the crowd; “Let them vote ‘no’ to this ordinance, and ‘yes’ to the reign of the kingdom of God."  

According to a city clerk Thursday approximately 200 people had signed up to speak at the meeting both arguing for and against the proposed measure. 

Alva, who is still a city resident left the podium visibly shaken telling the crowd;

“To all you people that preach the word of God, shame on you because God loves me, like the day I laid bleeding on the sands of Iraq and that’s why he saved me. 

To all you people that preach the word of God, shame on you because God loves me, like the day I laid bleeding on the sands of Iraq and that’s why he saved me,” Alva said.

On his Facebook page Alva wrote:

“Well I just left city council chambers and I feel like crying. I have never seen a city so divided and hateful towards each other. All of man kind should be ashamed. I already spoke and even some of the religious groups even boo’ed me as I spoke. Such disrespect as they preach the word of God.”

The San Antonio city clerk's office said that the council is expected to take up the measure for a vote on September 5.

Massachusetts

Boston University announces it will offer gender neutral housing

BOSTON -- Boston University announced that BU President Robert A. Brown has approved a "gender neutral"  housing option after much support and input came from the student population.

“This is about empowering students to make choices about how they live and giving them a greater measure of control over their college experience,” Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore said in a statement released to the media Tuesday. 

"This is really about your choice of who you live with. Your preference about gender and how you perceive it is really not our concern.”

Boston University spokesman Colin Riley told reporters that by adopting the new policy, BU joins at least 90 colleges and universities nationwide. He added that as housing assignments for the Fall 2013 semester have been made and almost all of the affected residences are full, the policy for the gender neutral will likely be fully implemented for the Spring Semester.

According to the BU student housing guidelines on the university's website:

"All residences are eligible for gender-neutral housing with the exception of Claflin, Rich and Sleeper Halls; the Warren Towers complex; The Towers; and Myles Annex. 

[...] "Freshmen are not eligible to live in gender-neutral housing, regardless of residence location. Suites and rooms within specialty residences are not eligible to be gender-neutral." 

The BU website has a frequently asked questions page regarding the gender neutral housing, including clarifications regarding when and how room assignment will work. The page noted that rooms can only become gender-neutral via "direct swap" and "pull in process" during the upcoming fall semester and no student will be "required to live in a gender-neutral room." 

In a 2012 survey conducted by the BU student government, nearly 2,000 students supported gender neutral housing. Approximately 500 students said they would choose the option themselves.

The university's decision has already come under fire from the Massachusetts Family Institute, whose executive vice president, Andrew Beckwith, labeled the action as "ill-advised." Beckwith said;

"We believe this is an ill-advised policy which will have the predictable effect of promoting sexual promiscuity," he said in an interview with The Christian Post. 

"Considering the exorbitant increase in the cost of tuition, parents have a right to expect these universities not to expend those resources promoting radical social experiments, but rather on providing an educational environment which facilitates student safety and academic excellence."

Virginia

University to open new mental health clinic for LGBTQ students, faculty, staff, and surrounding community

Commons Area, VCU, Richmond Va

RICHMOND -- A new clinic to offer psychopharmacology services for the LGBTQ community in Central Virginia is slated to open Tuesday, August 20.  The Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center at VCU  will open a behavioral health medication management clinic, the first in the region established exclusive to the LGBT community to raise awareness and treat the mental-health needs of the community at large according to a VCU spokesperson.

The department collaborated with the VCU Center for Psychological Services and Development, VCU’s Health Collective and the Fan Free Clinic to establish the clinic in response to the lack of psychiatric services and trained staff supporting the LGBT community in central Virginia.

VCU's Department of Psychiatry will operate the clinic, which will be offered the first and third Tuesday of the month at the university's Nelson Clinic in Richmond, Virginia. All new patients will need a referral by a licensed therapist or counselor.

VCU said that for more information or a referral, contact the Department of Psychiatry’s intake line at (804) 828-2000.