Tag Archives: discrimination

UK Home Office Claims Asylum Seeker Can’t Be A Lesbian Because She Is A Mother

Aderonke Apata is an LBGBT rights activist, who moved to the UK from Nigeria in 2004. However, her application for asylum on the grounds of her sexuality was rejected last year, despite providing proof of former girlfriends in both the UK and Nigeria.

Ms Apata claims she is at risk of being deported to Nigeria, which an increasingly conservative Nigeria, as of January 2014 it is illegal to be gay; the punishment is imprisonment, and on a less official scale, the fear of vigilante attacks is high.

However, Andrew Bird, the lawyer for the Home Secretary Theresa May, yesterday told a court that the UK would be happy to deport Ms. Apata because, well, she doesn’t seem gay to him. Saying that although Ms Apata had “indulged in same-sex activity” she was “not part of the social group known as lesbians” because she had children.

“You can’t be a heterosexual one day and a lesbian the next day. Just as you can’t change your race.”

Andrew Bird

Um, sorry… did this guy miss the memo that there are plenty of lesbians who don’t realise they’re gay until later on in life, especially those who live in countries where it just isn’t accepted to ‘come out’. And also bisexual women who can find people of either sex attractive?

Ms Apata’s barrister Abid Mahmood attacked the claims as “highly offensive… stereotypical views of the past.”

“Some members of the public may have those views but it doesn’t mean a government department should be putting these views forward in evidence. There is evidence of the genuineness of her case, that she will be picked out as a lesbian if she is returned.”

Abid Mahmood

Deputy High Court judge John Bowers QC has delayed a decision for three weeks, saying he would like time to go over all the arguments.

For what it’s worth, Ms. Apata is in a relationship with a woman called Happiness Agboro; they’re engaged and were holding hands at the court yesterday.

Speaking outside the court alongside her female partner, Ms Apata told the Independent:

“The Home Office has treated me badly from day one. Staying in Britain means staying safe, staying with my partner and continuing my campaigning.”

Aderonke Apata

In the UK, the government is allowed to grant people asylum on the basis of their sexuality, if it is one that could mean they’re persecuted or punished in their home country. However, the Home Office has a bad record with dealing with these sorts of cases. Until the EU banned the tests, LGBT asylum seekers have had to undergo quizzes to ‘prove’ their sexuality, like knowing stuff about 19th Century writer Oscar Wilde or answering ‘sexually intrusive’ questions about their sexuality like ‘what do you get from a homosexual relationship you can’t get from a heterosexual relationship’ and ‘Did you put your penis into X’s backside?’

Alan Cumming’s ‘Celibacy’ Video Mocks FDA Blood Donor Policy

As part of a campaign intended to criticize the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) blood donor policies, actor Alan Cumming appeared in a mock public service announcement, touting a Celibacy Challenge for gay and bisexual men.

The video is part of a campaign, created by the design firm Bullitt and advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi NY, for GLAAD and the Gay Men’s Health Crisis’ response to the double standard for gay and bisexual men hoping to donate blood.

The Celibacy Challenge campaign comes after the FDA announced in December that men who have sex with men would no longer be banned from donating blood for life, as they have been since 1983, but would still need to abstain from sex for a year in order to be eligible.

“Now if you’re gay and you want to save lives, the FDA will let you. You just can’t have sex, for an entire year. That’s right, 365 days of celibacy.

Introducing, the Celibacy Challenge! To help you abstain from any naughty temptation, here are some fully approved activities that are guaranteed to make your year without sex fly by.

…Or there’s another option. Sign our petition.”

Alan Cumming

The goal, as Cumming says at the end of the video, is to put pressure the FDA, and to change its questionnaire, so donors are screened based on their exposure to risk, and not their sexual orientation.

The petition points out that whereas straight men who have safe sex with multiple women can still donate blood, gay and bisexual men who have had safe sex in the last year (even with a monogamous partner) are still prohibited from doing the same.

In December, Dr. Peter Marks, deputy director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, told The New York Times that “at this time we simply do not have the evidence to suggest that we can go to a shorter period.”

“Stereotypes have no place in saving lives. The FDA’s proposed change still means that countless gay and bisexual men will be turned away from blood banks simply because of who they are.”

Sarah Kate Ellis, GLAAD president and CEO

Michigan Doctor Refuses To Care For Baby Because The Parents Were Lesbians

Jami and Krista Contreras of Oak Park met with Dr. Vesna Roi before the birth of their daughter, Bay Windsor, in October. But it wasn’t until the girl was 6 days old and they were waiting at the practice for her first checkup that they learned of the pediatrician’s decision.

Another doctor at the same practice told them their Roi “prayed on it” before deciding not to see the child. Two women say they believe a pediatrician refused to care for their infant daughter because they are lesbian.

“I was completely dumbfounded. We just looked at each other and said, ‘Did we hear that correctly?’”

Krista Contreras

Jami continued.

“As far as we know Bay doesn’t have a sexual orientation yet so I’m not really sure what that matters. We’re not your patient – she’s your patient. And the fact is that your job is to keep babies healthy and you can’t keep a baby healthy that has gay parents?”

Jami Contreras

The incident happened last October, but the Contreras decided to go public with their story to raise awareness about discrimination against same-sex parents.

The couple said the doctor later wrote them a handwritten letter saying that “after much prayer,” she felt she could not “develop the personal patient-doctor relationships” that she usually builds with patients. However, she did not specify that sexual orientation was the reason for her refusal to see their child.

The doctor told the newspaper she couldn’t comment on the case, citing federal privacy law. She defended her commitment to pediatric medicine and helping children, saying her life is taking care of babies and she loves her patients and their families.

While the doctor’s actions could be considered inappropriate, there is no Michigan or federal law prohibiting such a decision, Wayne State University Constitutional Law Professor Robert Sedler said.

Many states have legislated against such discrimination, and Michigan has explored the idea. Republican Gov. Rick Snyder has called for legislative discussion to amend the state’s civil rights law to prohibit discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in employment, housing and places open to the public. But bills backed by the business community died last session and are unlikely to gain traction in the GOP-led Legislature.

Gay rights advocates are studying a potential 2016 ballot initiative.

No lawsuit is planned since the women, who married in Vermont in 2012, concluded the doctor did nothing illegal. They said they went public with their story to raise awareness about discrimination faced by the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

Sigmund Freud’s Surprising Viewpoint On Homosexuality Revealed in New Letter

Although most of us consider homosexuality as a perfectly normal, acceptable identity, a small minority of people still consider it as a mental illness; something to be cured. Up until 1990 the World Health Organisation classed homosexuality as a mental disorder.

And, although things are certainly more progressive when it comes to the way we see identities and sexual orientations, cures for homosexuality are still far too common. Cures that take place now include ‘therapy’ which is usually led by religious followers and aims to rid the patient of the sin by telling them that homosexuality will send them to hell and in some places there are even ‘corrective’ rapes.

During the 20th century, these sorts of cures and beliefs were more prevalent which is why one concerned parent sent a letter to renowned psychiatrist Sigmund Freud, begging him for help. But, as Freud’s response suggested, he didn’t feel that homosexuality was anything to be worried about.

“I gather from your letter that your son is a homosexual. I am most impressed by the fact that you do not mention this term yourself in your information about him. May I question you why you avoid it? Homosexuality is assuredly no advantage, but it is nothing to be ashamed of, no vice, no degradation; it cannot be classified as an illness; we consider it to be a variation of the sexual function, produced by a certain arrest of sexual development.

Many highly respectable individuals of ancient and modern times have been homosexuals, several of the greatest men among them. (Plato, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, etc). It is a great injustice to persecute homosexuality as a crime – and a cruelty, too. If you do not believe me, read the books of Havelock Ellis.”

Freud also explained that when it comes to ‘cures’ for homosexuality, “the result of treatment cannot be predicted.”

It’s a shame that people didn’t pay attention to Freud when the letter was written in 1935 as clearly he was ahead of his time, but hopefully now that the letter is on display at the Museum of Sexology in London (as part of its Wellcome Collection), Freud’s words will be able to encourage more accepting viewpoints.

Lesbian Couple Demand Both Names on Son’s Birth Certificate In Indiana

A married couple, Ashlee and Ruby Henderson, has asked a federal court to force Indiana state and county officials to name both of them as parents on their newborn son’s birth certificate.

They were married in November in Indiana, and Ruby Henderson gave birth in December to a son through artificial insemination, but state and local officials have refused to list both as parents on his birth certificate.

Tippecanoe Department of Health officials told the Lafayette couple it would take a court order to list Ashlee Henderson as a parent on the birth certificate, the couple said in a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in southern Indiana.

Allowing a father to be listed as a parent on the birth certificate, which also provides associated benefits to a child, but not for a same-sex spouse is a violation of the U.S. Constitution, the couple said in the lawsuit.

More: Lesbian Parents Win Right To Have Names On Children’s Birth Certificates In Virginia

Indiana law “stigmatizes persons in a same-sex marriage and sends a hideous message to their children by implying that these children are somehow less deserving of the presumption of two parents and legitimacy,” the lawsuit said.

Randy Vonderheide, an attorney for the Tippecanoe County Health Department, said officials use birth certificate forms they believe comply with state law and should consider changes following rulings that make same-sex marriage legal in Indiana.

“The administration hasn’t caught up with the times. The system isn’t set up to accommodate same-sex marriages.”

Randy Vonderheide

New Jersey Judge Rules Labeling Homosexuality A ‘Disease’ In Gay Conversion Therapy Ads Is Fraud

Superior Court Judge Peter F. Barsio Jr has ruled that labeling homosexuality ‘a disease’ in adverts for controversial gay conversion therapy is fraud.

The ruling came this week, with the judge saying making such claims in marketing was a violation of New Jersey’s consumer protection laws.

“It is a misrepresentation in violation of the CFA (Consumer Fraud Act), in advertising or selling conversion therapy services to describe homosexuality, not as being a normal variation of human sexuality, but as being a mental illness, disease, disorder, or equivalent… advertising or selling conversion therapy services, to include specific ‘success’ statistics when there is no factual basis for calculating such statistics.”

Judge Peter F. Barsio Jr

The state judge made the ruling as part of a consumer fraud lawsuit filed against Jews Offering New Alternatives for Healing (JONAH), a New Jersey-based conversion therapy provider.

The Southern Poverty Law Center brought the lawsuit on behalf of four gay ex-JONAH clients, claiming the group used ‘deceptive practices’ to lure clients to pay for gay-to-straight therapy – which can cost more than $10,000 a year, reports NBC.

‘Conversion’ or ‘reparative’ therapy is the attempt by individuals, often posing as professionals, to try and alter the sexuality of lesbian, gay or bisexual patients.

“This ruling is monumental and devastating to the conversion therapy industry. This is the principal lie the conversion therapy industry uses throughout the country to peddle its quackery to vulnerable clients. Gay people don’t need to be cured, and we are thrilled that the court has recognized this.”

David Dinielli, SPLC’s deputy legal director

Isabella Moore Documents Russia’s War On Homosexuality

Russia has become increasingly conservative country. The orthodox church is now one the most revered institutions in the entire country, is it really any surprise then, that homophobia is still rife?

The country only decriminalised homosexuality back in 1993 when the Soviet era collapsed, but unfortunately, the situation appears to be regressing again, and now, even the law is beginning to target LGBTs. There is now a rise in homophobic acts of violence and hate crimes.

Photographer Isabelle Moore recently travelled to Russia to compile a visual biography, accompanied by textual testimonials, which documents the tragic plight of gay people from St Petersburg to Siberia.

Sadly, in a country that once viewed homosexuality with tolerance, Isabella has found nothing but terror, sadness and distress in the LGBT community. The result is a touching collection of interview, portraiture and landscape photography which paints a brutal picture of gay life in Russia.

You can catch more work from Isabella on her photography site.

Russia Sees Anti-LGBT Hate Crimes Increase as Discriminatory Laws Go Into Effect

While Russia has never had a great track record on the topic of human rights, this has become all the more apparent in recent years as the Vladimir Putin-led country has brought a series of discriminatory, anti-LGBT laws into effect.

The most notorious of these is the 2013 law against ‘homosexual propaganda’ in which Russia’s citizens are not allowed hold public LGBT events, promote gay rights or talk about LGBT identities with children, as the country deems these to be an attempt at spreading ‘LGBTness’ to the population.

Signed into law just this year is a piece of legislation that seeks to decrease “mortality caused by traffic accidents”. But despite its well-meaning description, the law is actually a thinly veiled excuse for more LGBT discrimination.

The law uses the World Health Organisation’s list of “mental and behavioural disorders”, which bafflingly includes transgenderism, gambling addictions, and voyeurism, to state who can and cannot drive.

There is obviously no proof that being trans has an effect on your ability to drive whatsoever and the law will be impossible to enforce as so few people are officially listed as trans* (they specifically avoid doing so to avoid anti-trans discrimination) but the fact that it exists is enough to tell Russia’s trans population that they are not welcome and they do not belong.

While it’s distressing enough that so many LGBT citizens of Russia are being denied their rights so blatantly, the government sponsored anti-LGBT opinions are spilling out into public consciousness. There are no official stats on it, but those within Russia say that they have seen a serious increase in anti-LGBT hate crimes as well as LGBT suicides since these laws came into effect and this viewpoint became so promoted.

For example, one Neo-Nazi group is notorious in Russia for identifying gay teenagers and proceeding to beat them up. Al Jazeera notes that the group’s leader Maxim “Tesak” Martsinkevich was arrested and imprisoned for five years for “inciting hatred” but the fact that his followers are still active throughout the country and little is being done to stop them is a reflection of how little those in power care.

So what is being done about Russia’s egregious human rights offenses? Things appeared to bubble up and gain some real traction in early 2014 when Russia hosted the Winter Olympics in Sochi.

There were threats to boycott the event and LGBT athletes and visitors were also extremely concerned about attending but with so much money at stake and affirmations from Russia that LGBT people in the city for the Olympics would be left alone, little was done and many people turned a blind eye choosing to just enjoy the Winter-y sports instead.

There is also little other countries can do to stop Russia as the EU (European Union) is already imposing sanctions on the country due to its actions in the Ukraine (where Russia has reportedly been supporting separatist rebels). Russia’s economy is in the doldrums but the support for Putin and his party is at such a high that it’s unlikely that the country’s money woes will oust him and his anti-LGBT policies too.

According to reports from November, 2014, the Russian LGBT community may have found an ally in German chancellor Angela Merkel as after Putin told her that the West’s promotion of LGBT rights has led to a “decay of values”, she realised that Europe and America should abandon working things out with Russia altogether.

A source also revealed that “the chancellor has come to believe that Putin is driven by an ultra-conservative mindset that is shared by his inner circle and is based on a belief that Russia’s values are superior and irreconcilable to those of the West”.

It’s said that she would like the EU to become a united front against Russia and although we can’t verify how true that is without a statement from the Chancellor herself, Germany is one of Russia’s most important (and most wealthy) allies and so rumblings from its leader could very well change the tide in the LGBT community’s favour.

Slovakia Referendum To Ban Same-sex Marriage Fails

A low turnout in a Slovakia referendum last week has dashed a measure that would have legalised the discrimination towards lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) couples. The decision of the majority of voters not to participate in the referendum offers some comfort to minorities in Slovakia.

Although the majority of the people who voted approved the proposals, it was less than the 50% of registered voters required for the vote to be valid in the country of 5.4 million people.

The referendum called for same-sex couples to be barred from marrying or from adopting and raising children, and for limited access to comprehensive sex education at school.

“Slovakia’s people voted with their feet not to take part in this effort to limit their fellow citizens’ human rights. The referendum was shaped by homophobic views, designed purely to limit and discriminate against the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.”

Boris Dittrich, Human Rights Watch

Human Rights Watch are fighting for the government to introduce legislation to legally recognise same-sex relationships and affirm the rights of LGBT people to form a family and raise children.

The referendum was organized by the Slovak government as a result of a petition by the Alliance for Family, a conservative group that gathered about 400,000 signatures more than needed to put the measure to a referendum vote.

The referendum contained three questions.

One asked voters if they agreed that ‘no other cohabitation of persons other than a union between one man and one woman can be called marriage’.
The second asked if they agreed that ‘same-sex couples or groups shall not be permitted to adopt and subsequently raise children’.
The third, curiously lumping euthanasia with sexual education, asked whether voters agreed that ‘schools shall not require children to participate in education in the area of sexual behaviour or euthanasia if their parents or the children themselves do not agree with it’.

Slovakia’s constitution, in article 93, provides that a referendum may not be used to determine ‘basic rights and liberties’. However, in October 2014, after President Andrej Kiska referred the matter to the Slovak Constitutional Court, it ruled that the three questions in the referendum did not violate the constitution. It rejected a fourth question on registered partnerships.

Slovakia does not legally recognise relationships between same-sex partners. In 2014, Slovak’s constitution was changed to define marriage exclusively as a union between a man and a woman.

Croatia, has also amended its constitution, to define marriage as a union solely between a man and a woman in the wake of a referendum banning same-sex marriage. The government, however, subsequently introduced a bill for legal recognition of same-sex relationships, which the parliament passed. Croatia is thereby meeting its obligation to afford same sex-couples legal recognition and protection, Human Rights Watch said.

As a party to the European Convention on Human Rights, Slovakia is bound by the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights. In a November 7, 2013, ruling in Vallianatos and others v. Greece (GC), nos. 29381/09 and 32684/09, the court found that proposed registered partnership legislation in Greece, which did not include same-sex couples, was discriminatory. It ruled that the Greek legislation violated article 8 (family life), taken together with article 14 (prohibition of discrimination), of the European Convention on Human Rights. The Slovak constitution also provides in article 11 that international human rights treaties it has ratified take precedence over the country’s laws.

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has also recognized the importance of granting same-sex couples the same rights as opposite-sex couples in civil unions or registered partnerships.

“The Slovak public has indicated it does not want arbitrary discrimination against LGBT families. The Slovakian government should protect LGBT people and their children by introducing legislation that is in line with their obligations as an EU member state and with legislation in other EU countries.”

Boris Dittrich, Human Rights Watch

LGB Seniors Face High Levels of Homophobia, Study Shows

One of the biggest challenges faced by our aging population is how they will be cared for as they get older. One top of physical and mental health stability, some elderly people may find themselves having to go to care institutions or relying on the help of friends and family to get by.

Consider the problems of an aging queer population then who don’t just have to face care issues but must also consider homophobia and discrimination when making their future care decisions.

Given that many of the UKs senior were alive before homosexuality was decriminalised in 1967, many may have faced persecution for their sexuality in the past. They may have even been kicked out of homes, fired from jobs or just generally been mistreated because of it. So it’s understandable that in later life, as the UK becomes more accepting of LGBT people, that LGB seniors would want to finally be treated with respect.

Sadly though, according to a Stonewall survey about the matter, not only are LGB seniors facing high levels of homophobia, but they are also deeply concerned that the care available to them cannot accommodate or understand their needs as LGB people.

According to their findings (which were taken from LGB people over the age of 55), LGB seniors are more likely to have histories of poor mental health, are more likely to suffer from anxiety (one in three people) and depression (two in five people), are more likely to take drugs (1 in 11 LGB seniors as opposed to 1 in 50 heterosexual seniors) and drink alcohol more often too (45% drink regularly in comparison to 31% of heterosexuals). Their report also stated that half of all LGB seniors feel as though their sexuality will have a negative impact on their life as they get older.

John, from London told Stonewall that “There is a severe lack of understanding about the particular needs of older lesbian and gay people, especially from some faith-based organisations that provide care services”, meanwhile Rita from the South East added that “Although things are improving, there is still a lot of ignorance at least, homophobia at worst, among health and social care people.”

While there’s hope that a lack of understanding could be improved with proper training and so on, the UK’s population needs this assistance now and cannot wait years down the line when a care worker suddenly realises that LGB discrimination has no right being in the workplace. Furthermore, the life expectancy of UK citizens is now a massive 81 years and is expected to rise with improvements to medical treatment – this means that more of us will need care than ever and that more of us stand a likelihood of being discriminated against because of our identities.

It’s unclear just what’s being done to combat this but with Stonewall being such a prominent group, there’s hope that their new study will change the homophobic tides.

Source: Stonewall

Bakery Who Refused Lesbian Couple A Wedding Cake Found Guilty Of Discrimination

An Oregon bakery who discriminated against a lesbian couple, that wanted to order a wedding cake, could have to pay up to $200,000. The exact amount will be determined at a hearing next month.

In January 2013, Sweet Cakes refused to sell a cake to Laurel Bowman and Rachel Cryer for their wedding. Bowman told newspapers that one of the co-owners of the bakery told her the wedding would be an “abomination to the lord.”

Bowman filed an anti-discrimination complaint with the state later that year, citing a 2007 law that protects the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender individuals.

An administrative law judge has rejected the owners’ contention that they had the right to reject the order, based on their religious beliefs, as the bakery is not a religious institution.

“Oregonians may not be denied service based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The law provides an exemption for religious organizations and schools, but does not allow private businesses to discriminate based on sexual orientation.”

Charlie Burr

In Oregon, such cases may be heard either before an administrative law judge or taken to civil court. Both sides had had sought a speedy decision in the dispute, but in his order, administrative Judge Alan McCullough found that the facts in the case supported charges of unlawful discrimination.

The couples lawyer, Paul Thompson said

“The entire time, I felt the law was very much on our side because the law is black and white. You cannot discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation.”

Paul Thompson

Anna Harmon, one of three lawyers representing bakery owners Aaron and Melissa Klein disagreed.

“The (administrative law judge) recognized that all of the state’s claims but one were baseless and not supported by the facts of the case. We view this as a partial victory. However, the (judge) ruled wrongly that the Kleins’ right not to design and create a work of art celebrating an event which violates the tenets of their religion is not protected by the Oregon or federal constitutions.

This is a wrong and dangerous result for religious liberty and rights of conscience in Oregon. … Americans should not have to choose between adhering to their faith or closing their business, but that is what this decision means.”

Anna Harmon

The hearing scheduled for March 10 is intended to focus on the amount of damages to be awarded to the couple.

Cryer, 31, and Bowman, 30, were married on May 23, four days after a federal judge ruled that same-sex marriage was legal in Oregon.

Lesbian Parents Win Right To Have Names On Children’s Birth Certificates In Virginia

Lesbian Parents living in Virginia, have won a legal fight to have both of their names listed on their twins’ birth certificates.

However, after an 18-month game of wait-and-see as the issue of gay marriage was being settled in Virginia, Richmond Judge Designate T.J. Markow last month ordered the Office of Vital Records in the Virginia Department of Health to amend the birth certificates to show Maria and Joani as the “only parents of the children.”

Maria Hayman delivered the twins in June 2013. Joanie Hayman contributed the eggs after they were fertilized with sperm from a donor who revoked his parental rights.

Joanie Hayman’s name couldn’t be listed on the twins’ birth certificate. Under the Virginia Code, egg donors don’t have parental rights.

Because of the unique nature of the twins’ birth, the couples attorney, Colleen Quinn saw an opportunity to make a legal case for Joani’s inclusion on the birth certificates and offered to take on their case pro bono.

The Haymans started their legal fight a few months after the twins were born not just to make a statement, they said. Legal recognition of their already-formed family was important to them.

“This is best for our family, so we’re going to try. I thought it would be longer. Even if you’re with your partner and your children and you’re a family, it matters. But it’s on paper when the world recognizes you as a family.”

Maria Hayman

Morgana Bailey Comes Out As A #Lesbian During Her Touching TEDtalk Speech

Morgana Bailey has been hiding her true self for 16 years. In a brave talk, she utters four words that might not seem like a big deal to some, but to her have been paralyzing.

“In London, 16 years ago, I realized something about myself that actually was somewhat unique, and that changed everything. Hiding is a progressive habit, and once you start hiding, it becomes harder and harder to step forward and speak out. In fact, even now, when I was talking to people about what this talk was about, I made up a cover story and I even hid the truth about my TED Talk.

So it is fitting and scary that I have returned to this city 16 years later and I have chosen this stage to finally stop hiding. What have I been hiding for 16 years? I am a lesbian.”

Morgana Bailey

Why speak up? Because she’s realized that her silence has personal, professional and societal consequences. In front of an audience of her co-workers, she reflects on what it means to fear the judgement of others, and how it makes us judge ourselves.

“In February, the Kansas House of Representatives brought up a bill for vote that would have essentially allowed businesses to use religious freedom as a reason to deny gays services.

A former co-worker and friend of mine has a father who serves in the Kansas House of Representatives. He voted in favor of the bill, in favour of a law that would allow businesses to not serve me.

How does my friend feel about lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning people? How does her father feel?

I don’t know, because I was never honest with them about who I am. And that shakes me to the core. What if I had told her my story years ago? Could she have told her father my experience? Could I have ultimately helped change his vote? I will never know, and that made me realize I had done nothing to try to make a difference.”

Morgana Bailey

Morgana Bailey: The danger of hiding who you are

The Funeral of Vanessa Collier Cancelled, Because Pastor Objected To Memorial Video Of Her Kissing Her Wife

The funeral of Vanessa Collier was due to be held at New Hope Ministries in Lakewood, Colorado and was attended by hundreds of her family and friends. However, 15 minutes before the funeral was due to start, the pastor informed the family that the funeral could not go ahead due to the inappropriate content in the video to be shown during the service.

Pastor Ray Chavez objected to the photo of Vanessa kissing her wife, Christina Higley, as well as photo of her proposing. They were told it could only go ahead if the photos were edited out. What’s more, the family said the ministry had the videos that day before, but did not review them until the morning of the service.

Instead, her family decided to move to the funeral home across the street, which only had a capacity of 60 people. Her casket was closed and driven across in the hearse.

Vanessa was 33 when she died, and left behind her wife and two children. Her family had informed the New Hope Ministeries of her sexuality, and had the video approved by them two days before the service.

Her cousin, Jessica Maestras who helped organise the funeral, said of it being moved:

“It was disgusting. 180 people had to squeeze into a room that held about 60 people. The only other thing they asked me was to have these videos ready two days prior so they could review them. I provided the video, and got the okay from the funeral home that we would be able to show it.”

Jessica Maestras

On Tuesday, friends and family of Collier were back at new Hope Ministries protesting the events that happened over the weekend.

“I am against bigotry and stand with my friend Vanessa Collier’s family in seeking an apology and refund from Pastor Ray Chavez and New Hope Ministries. The acts that took place at her funeral were wrong and no family should ever have to go through that.”

Jose Silva

Pastor Ray Chavez, the man who cancelled the services, has refused to comment, but has however refund the family’s money.

Barbados LGBT Community Leader to be Honored by The Queen

Donnya Piggott, head of BGLAD (Barbados-Gays and Lesbians and All-sexuals Against Discrimination), is among 60 young people from the Commonwealth who will receive the first ever prestigious ‘Queen’s Young Leaders Award’.

BGLAD is a fledgling non-governmental organisation involved in advocacy on behalf of gays, lesbians, bi-sexual and transgender people in the Barbadian society.

The award, which will be presented in London by The Queen, is an award that celebrates the achievements of young people who are taking the lead to transform the lives of others and make a lasting difference in their communities.

This year’s award winners, were selected because of the work they do to support others, by raising awareness and inspiring change on a variety of different issues including; education, climate change, gender equality, mental health and disability equality.

“I’m elated, happy for this award. What it does is it recognises the cause.”

Donnya Piggott

Chief Executive of The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust Dr Astrid Bonfield said what Donnya and the other 59 recipients have achieved “is remarkable and their plans for the future are truly inspiring”.

“The leadership of talented young people in all spheres of life can transform communities and societies for the better. What the 60 young people announced today have achieved is remarkable and their plans for the future are truly inspiring. The Queen’s Young Leaders Programme is poised to unlock the potential of this diverse and talented group of young people and we are delighted to be supporting them to go further and achieve more.”

Dr Astrid Bonfield

The Queen’s Young Leaders Programme is a new initiative established by The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust in partnership with Comic Relief and the Royal Commonwealth Society.

In addition to the Queen’s Young Leaders Awards, the Programme will provide grants to support organizations in selected countries across the Commonwealth that work with young people to transform their lives.

Taiwan’s Trans Citizens No Longer Have to Undergo Surgery for Gender Recognition

The topic of reproductive organs in relation to gender has long been a thorny one. So to speak, your sex is defined by what’s between your legs and your gender is defined by what’s between your ears and the two are not mutually exclusive.

However, for many people this does not make sense. In part the belief that those with vaginas are female or that those with penises are male (and you cannot be those genders without the ‘appropriate’ parts) are fuelled by centuries of misunderstanding, along with modern uses of phrases like ‘lady parts’ or ‘man parts’ along with ‘comedy’ videos like this.

But gender and sex are more than just an ideological issues as they provide challenges for those looking to have their gender recognised. Taiwan is one of several recent countries to acknowledge these problems and have now overturned a 2008 administrative order in which trans citizens had to undergo an evaluation by two psychiatrists and have sex reassignment surgery to remove organs deemed by the order as “gender specific”.

The decision comes after pressure from Taiwanese advocates to allow all citizens to self-identity when it comes to their gender. In December 2013, the Ministry of Health and Welfare agreed with their argument and recommended to the Ministry of the Interior that trans* citizens shouldn’t have to jump through surgical hoops just to have their gender identity recognised.

This is a huge stepping stone not just because sex reassignment surgery can be both dangerous and expensive but because having your gender legally recognised is also massively important in terms of administration. For example, trans people can have difficulty in finding housing or employment and often face discrimination, violence and harassment too.

From now on, gender reassignments will be processed by a team of people that includes gender specialists, psychiatrists and and transgender representatives. The ideal goal for many people would just be ‘being granted gender recognition without requiring a committee to approve it first’ but this is a good step in the right direction regardless.

New Jersey Could Finally Ban ‘Gay Panic’ Defence

Although the majority of its citizens are in favour of same-sex marriage, homophobia is very much still alive and well in the United States of America. Typical reasons for being anti-gay are a lack of understanding, a homophobic upbringing or even on religious grounds.

And while that homophobia might manifest in epithets and social media posts, at its extremes it can be used as a reason for murder. In some states in the US, ‘gay panic’ can be used as a defence for murderers on trial for having killed a gay person (or someone believed to be gay) upon learning their sexuality or if the killer has been the subject of unwanted advances from the victim.

Many states agree that gay panic is not a valid reason – especially as it usually results in manslaughter charges being brought to the defendant rather than murder – and have since repealed it. In New Jersey however, although it is rarely used in law, the gay panic defence is still legal but now one New Jersey lawmaker is looking to ban it.

New Jersey, Assemblyman Tim Eustace (D-Bergen), who is also the Legislature’s second ever openly gay member, has introduced a bill to do away with the gay panic defence. His bill states that a murder cannot be classed as ‘reasonable’ if it has been committed upon “the discovery of, knowledge about, or potential disclosure of the homicide victim’s actual or perceived gender identity or expression,” which includes “circumstances in which the victim made an unwanted, non-forcible romantic or sexual advance toward the actor, or if the victim and actor dated or had a romantic or sexual relationship.”

Fairly comprehensive, the bill looks to close off all loopholes of the gay panic defence, including the fact that it is also used to dismiss murders against trans* people who do not always identify as gay.

Of the fact that the gay panic defence is rarely used (Equality California says that it has been used in at least 45 cases nationwide) Eustace says that “I want to make sure that we’re paying attention to things before they happen”. Better safe than sorry, effectively.

New Jersey gay rights activist Steven Goldstein has said that the bill “has merit” while it has also been supported by the National LGBT Bar Association and will hopefully have good chance at becoming a law. We’ll keep you posted once we know more.

South Korean LGBT Activists Gain Victory After Seoul Mayor Agree to Address Discrimination

South Korean LGBT Activists gain an historic victory, as the mayor of Seoul apologised for failing to proclaim a new civil rights charter that includes LGBT protections, and has agreed to establish a panel to discuss ways to end discrimination.

The LGBT coalition group called Rainbow Action, decided to end a six-day sit-in at Seoul City Hall after meeting with Mayor Park Won-Soon.

The sit-in began when Won-Soon and the Seoul Municipal Government declined to proclaim the charter on World Human Rights Day as originally scheduled, saying the LGBT protections had caused “social conflict.”

The Rainbow Action coalition alleged Won-Soon, a former human rights attorney who recently expressed support for same-sex marriage, had caved to pressure from South Korea’s powerful right-wing religious lobby.

“It is my responsibility and fault. I am sorry for the emotional pain that you have suffered and will make whatever statements that you demand.

This is an occasion for me to offer comfort for the emotional pain that you have suffered and to apologize to you” and, “regardless of any misunderstanding or statement, no citizen will be subjected to discrimination or disadvantage. I will search for practical ways of resolving the difficulties that you suffer from.”

Mayor Park Won-Soon

Throughout the 6-day-long sit-in, the protesters were showered with support from both home and abroad. Indeed, over 300 NGOs including those for human rights, people with disability, women, civil society, laborers, and other minorities provided signatures of support in just one day. In addition, moving messages of support poured in from LGBT rights activist groups, major figures, and grassroots organizations overseas. Furthermore, countless people visited the City Hall and joined the cultural festival held every evening by the protesters.

Through the sit-in, South Korean sexual minorities showed that the government and hate-mongers alike may not thoughtlessly disregard their rightful demand and movement for full social citizenship. The sit-in also served as an occasion for LGBT people in the nation to have more self-confidence and to confirm the future direction of their continued fight for justice and equality. The protesters are deeply grateful to friends and allies around the globe for their solidarity.

Black Community, Does My Black Trans Life Matter?

As we read about yet another young Black transwoman being killed in the united states, Lady Dane Figueroa Edidi decided to respond and posted the following powerful and heartfelt article in queerofgender.com, asking the Black community – Does My Black Trans Life Matter?

This article hits home, so please read.

Does My Black Trans Life Matter? An Open Letter to The Black Community: Lady Dane Figueroa Edidi

Dear Black Community,

It is with great sorrow that I write to you. Sorrow for my fallen brethren who you too now hold as martyrs in our war against the system of oppression called racism; sorrow for those unnamed cis sisters who never seem blessed enough to warrant your mobilized outrage over their murders; and sorrow for my trans sisters who never seem to warrant even a mention in some of your hashtag tweets.

For the past two weeks as we, the black community, have come together to march in outrage, riot in pain and protest in clarity, one trans woman for each week has been murdered. Killed with barely a mention and mourned only by their families and we sisters of the trans community. I have watched as we have come to our black community time and time again asking for justice for our sisters. I have been there as we have gnashed our teeth and pulled at our hair wondering why we don’t seem to warrant our black leaders standing in solidarity with us and proclaiming “There is a war on trans women of color’s lives”. We have been stunned as some demand we march and mobilize and stand in solidarity with the black movement while the black movement, telling us to “wait our turn”, continues to ignore our existence.

I get it: slavery has done a number on us. We have internalized the fear of extinction for our black men and so whenever one falls, we honor their godhood as if they were our only means of salvation. I know our collective trauma calls us to regard black manhood like a sacred jewel needing to be protected at all cost and fought for without cease. I see how countless black women train their daughters to worship their husbands and brothers without question while demanding they work, even if it meant their deaths, to feed and clothe said men. I have seen countless queens who bow to kings even when they were unworthy of such devotion and I have watched the coping mechanisms of slavery now become the broken chords leading us into fractions of self-hatred, following leaders whose thirst for money and fame causes them to lead us back into chains.

But I say the system wants us all dead; and the solution in beating the system does not lie in the silent compliance of my sisters and I within the movements that mainstream activist cyphers demand I should be a part of. No. Defeating the system lies in our continued fight for justice for all, which includes tearing down these white-washed walls of erasure. Many of these movements call for the solidarity of all black lives, while those within the movement ignore and sometimes promote the extinction of a part of said population: trans women.

I understand that my letter to some may seem as bringing separation when we need solidarity. But I say we cannot have solidarity unless all the pieces of the puzzle are honored equally. I get it: when the colonists came with their white baby jesus, whips, chains and brutality, they enslaved our ancestors, telling them if they forsake us then they will be one step closer to freedom. Some believed to survive they must throw trans-identified folks into the pit of erasure. I know that trans-attracted men are hated for loving us and thus they equip that hatred like a sword and attempt, like the historical white man, to extinguish the heart by extinguishing us. But know this: my understanding is not compliance, and my understanding is not a pass, and my understanding is not going to stop me from having, as my Sister Goddess Lourdes Ashley Hunter says, a Courageous Conversation.

Trans women are not killed by trans women, we are killed by cisgender men. Often cisgender black men. Is this why our black community is so afraid of having this conversation? Trans folk are the greatest embodied form of revolution against colonization. Our very existence spits in the face of all that colonization wishes our black community to hold true: is this why our black community is so afraid to have these conversations? Is it that the poison of colonization has seeped so deeply into the veins of the black movement that it is easier to ignore black trans folk and use them as place holders then to honor our existence? We must begin to honor not just our fallen cis brothers but our fallen trans siblings and cis sisters. We must fight against the notion that we black women must ignore our brutalizers, although many of us are forced to co-exist with them. We demand our black men cultivate spaces that truly honor The Goddess that is black woman, not simply seeing her divinity as a lesser expression of his own and respect the spaces we have created whether they be our bodies, minds, souls or homes. We must face the hyper-masculinity that so many of our black men were forced to adopt and so many of us were forced to mistake as unapologetic expressions of manhood. It is time to look at our brothers and fathers and say solidarity is not a male privilege, but a form of action we should all be honored to receive.

So I leave you with this: It is not enough to weep, wail, protest, riot for and honor the lives of our black men; your women are here, we have bled, we have been beaten, we have been abused and we have been forgotten. Your trans sisters are here and it is not enough to keep us in the closet of your desires and in the misplaced notions of your pleasure. We too deserve love, honor, and remembrance and not just on TDOR. Stop killing us whether it is by erasure, allowance of violence against us,or actually tying the lynching noose around our necks and hanging us. Our spirits require outrage, mobilized movements and black support; for we are all black and if you say black lives matter and it doesn’t include us, then you too are simply doing the slave master’s work.

Written in Love, Clarity, and Oya’s Grace,

Dane

You can read more at queerofgender.com

District Ordered to Pay Transgender Student $75,000 After School Stopped Her Using Female Toilets

A Maine court has awarded a Transgender Student, Nicole Maines, $75,000 in a settlement of her discrimination lawsuit against a school district where administrators made her use a staff, not student, bathroom.

Maines won her lawsuit against the Orono school district in January before the Maine Supreme Judicial Court, which ruled that the school district violated the Maine Human Rights Act. It was the first time a state high court in the U.S. concluded that a transgender person should use the bathroom of the gender with which they identify.

A lower court awarded her the financial settlement last week. It will go to the Maines family, the Boston-based Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders, and Berman Simmons, a Portland law firm that represented Maines, said GLAD spokeswoman Carisa Cunningham.

The Penobscot County Superior order, dated Nov. 25, represents the conclusion of the court case that began in 2009 when the Maines family and the Maine Human Rights Commission sued the school district. The order prohibits the district from “refusing access by transgender students to school restrooms that are consistent with their gender identity.”

School administrators across the country are grappling with the issue.

Nicole, now 17, is a biological male who identified as a girl beginning at age 2.

Nicole was using the girls’ bathroom in her elementary school until the grandfather of a fifth-grade boy complained to administrators. The Orono school district determined that she should use a staff bathroom, but her parents said that amounted to discrimination.

Barack Obama Issues Presidential Proclamation to Commemorate World AIDS Day

President Barack Obama issued the following Presidential Proclamation for World AIDS Day – the annual observance to raise awareness and commemorate those who have lost their lives to one of the most destructive epidemics in recorded history.

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

In communities across our Nation and around the world, we have made extraordinary progress in the global fight against HIV/AIDS. Just over three decades ago, when we knew only the devastation HIV inflicted, those living with it had to fight just to be treated with dignity and compassion, and since the first cases of AIDS were reported, tens of millions of vibrant men and women have lost their lives to this deadly virus. Today, we have transformed what it means to live with HIV/AIDS. More effective prevention, treatment, and care now save millions of lives while awareness has soared and research has surged. This World AIDS Day, we come together to honor all those who have been touched by HIV/AIDS and celebrate the promising public health and scientific advances that have brought us closer to our goal of an AIDS-free generation.

Since I took office, more people who are infected with HIV have learned of their status, allowing them to access the essential care that can improve their health, extend their lives, and prevent transmission of the virus to others. My Administration has made strides to limit new infections and reduce HIV-related disparities and health inequalities, and we have nearly eliminated the waiting list for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program. For many, with testing and access to the right treatment, a disease that was once a death sentence now offers a good chance for a healthy and productive life.

Despite these gains, too many with HIV/AIDS, especially young Americans, still do not know they are infected; too many communities, including gay and bisexual men, African Americans, and Hispanics remain disproportionately impacted; and too many individuals continue to bear the burden of discrimination and stigma. There is more work to do, and my Administration remains steadfast in our commitment to defeating this disease. Guided by our National HIV/AIDS Strategy, we are working to build a society where every person has access to life-extending care, regardless of who they are or whom they love. The Affordable Care Act prohibits insurance companies from denying coverage due to a pre-existing condition, such as HIV/AIDS, and requires that most health plans cover HIV screenings without copays for everyone ages 15 to 65 and others at increased risk. We have expanded opportunities for groundbreaking research, and we continue to invest in innovation to develop a vaccine and find a cure. And this summer, my Administration held a series of listening sessions across the country to better understand the successes and challenges of those fighting HIV at the local and State level.

In the face of a disease that extends far beyond our borders, the United States remains committed to leading the world in the fight against HIV/AIDS and ensuring no one is left behind. Hundreds of thousands of adolescent girls and young women are infected with HIV every year, and we are working to reach and assist them and every community in need. As part of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, over 7 million people with HIV around the globe are receiving antiretroviral treatment, a four-fold increase since the start of my Administration. In countries throughout the world, our initiatives are improving the lives of women and girls, accelerating life-saving treatment for children, and supporting healthy, robust communities.

As a Nation, we have made an unwavering commitment to bend the curve of the HIV epidemic, and the progress we have seen is the result of countless people who have shared their stories, lent their strength, and led the fight to spare others the anguish of this disease. Today, we remember all those who lost their battle with HIV/AIDS, and we recognize those who agitated and organized in their memory. On this day, let us rededicate ourselves to continuing our work until we reach the day we know is possible — when no child has to know the pain of HIV/AIDS and no life is limited by this virus.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States do hereby proclaim December 1, 2014, as World AIDS Day. I urge the Governors of the States and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, officials of the other territories subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, and the American people to join me in appropriate activities to remember those who have lost their lives to AIDS and to provide support and comfort to those living with this disease.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-eighth day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand fourteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-ninth.

Barack Obama

So, What is the Fitting Room Policy for Transgenders in Major Retail Store?

Having a salesperson refuses to serve you, or asks you for your license is bad enough, but being denied access to a fitting room because you don’t look the norm is rather sh*tty and pretty de-humanising, especially if its due to your gender not being the norm.

After transgender woman Kylie Jack was refused access to a female dressing room at a local retailers, Styleite decide to find out what were high street retailer (H&M, Urban Outfitters, Zara, Victoria’s Secret, Forever 21, and American Apparel) official policy on fitting room access for different gender identities (be it for transgender, butch females or studs).

See below for their responses.

H&M

Transgender people are the same as everyone else, you can take your things to the women’s area or the men’s. All of the fitting rooms are unisex, like there will be a fitting room on the men’s floor, but anyone can change. There’s a women’s fitting room by the women’s clothing, but anyone can try on clothes there.”

Urban Outfitters

If you’re transgender, it doesn’t matter. Anyone can go into either of the fitting rooms, like we have a men’s floor fitting room, but people use whichever one they want. That’s our official policy, anyone can try on in the men’s or women’s areas, anyone.”

Zara

No, if you want to go to try some clothes, you are not able to do that. If a man wants to go, no we don’t allow that. It’s because that’s our policy, we don’t allow men to try some clothes, and vice versa for women.” If the ‘man’ identifies as a woman? [After a hold….] “You can talk to the manager. if you have any issue or concern, you can go to the customer service department.”

American Apparel

If you’re transgneder, there’s absolutely no problem, you can change. A man or a woman can go to the fitting rooms, they wouldn’t have to be concerned. We’re not one of those stores. You can be perfectly comfortable if you choose to try anything on. We would help you.”

Forever21

In most stores, there aren’t women’s or men’s fitting rooms, the fitting rooms are for both men and women. If someone’s transgender, yeah that’s totally fine, yeah it’s totally… there’s no preference. If someone wants to try on clothes you can try them on. There’s no discrimination against anybody.”

Victoria’s Secret

Well because sometimes, women feel uncomfortable, it would have to be more on the side to make sure other women aren’t there feeling uncomfortable, but we could allow it [a transgender woman or man changing.] It really depends on the management and how people feel, but it should be fine, you would just have to ask the manager.”

Know Your Employment Rights: Julia’s Story

In light of the story we ran on Monday, we felt it was important to provide people with some further information on employment rights within the United Staes.

Founded in 1973, Lambda Legal is the oldest and largest national legal organization whose mission is to achieve full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and those with HIV; through impact litigation, education and public policy work.

For more than three decades, workplace equality has been a top priority for Lambda Legal.

“Workplace concerns remain the number one topic for our Legal Help Desk calls. While a growing number of employers and state and local governments have enacted policies and laws to address discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and HIV status, we have no federal statute banning discrimination, and almost half of all LGBT workers go to work every day without explicit state-level sexual orientation and gender identity anti-discrimination laws.”

Please take a closer look at their website, the information their is so useful – Know Your Rights

http://vimeo.com/111432865

Did You Know You Can Still Be Fired for BeingGay in 29 States in the USA?

“Love is love”. It’s a common tagline used when it comes to the LGBTQ rights movement that aims to suggest that no matter who you are or who you love, that is ok and you should not be held back because of it. Excusing the fact that “love is love” is not trans* inclusive (trans* men and women can be heterosexual after all), it also fails to acknowledge other, deep-rooted problems that LGBTQ people face today.

Love is love is generally used as an argument for marriage equality, which, whilst being an important part of the LGBTQ movement, is not the be all and end all of it. Many people would argue that issues such as homeless LGBTQ youth or the health, safety and general wellbeing of LGBTQ people is a much more pressing concern.

But the people arguing that marriage equality should play second fiddle to other problems that LGBTQ people face will have a massive struggle on their hands moving forward. Looking at the United States’ politics; while some states bring marriage equality bills into law, a good many do not have any protections for LGBTQ employees in the workplace.

And, by a good many I mean ‘most of them’. There are 50 states in the United States of America and a whopping 29 of them have lacking anti-discrimination laws that allow LGBTQ to be fired solely based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Including Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and all the other usual suspects, even New York is listed as a state that fails in protecting its workers as it doesn’t protect against gender identity discrimination. And, somewhat ironically, Utah, Oklahoma, Virginia and Indiana are all places that have made marriage equality legal this year but being gay in these states can get you fired.

As if this didn’t add fuel to the argument that marriage equality should not be billed as the most important part of the LGBTQ rights movement, a recent poll by The Huffington Post and YouGov suggested that a massive 69% of Americans think that firing someone for being gay is illegal, despite that clearly not being the case.

So who is doing something about it? It has actually been a talking point for over a decade. Since 1994, Congress has been pushing a bill called ENDA (Employment Non-Discrimination Act) that aims to make discrimination in the workplace illegal across the country, but although it has been put on the table many times, it has never succeeded. This is due in part to opposition to LGBTQ rights and because the bill has been amended to add in protections based on gender identity and not just for sexual orientation.

There continues to be hope for the bill but as of yesterday, ENDA seems even more unlikely to get through than before. Many Democratic politicians have spoken in favour of ENDA while many Republicans have spoken against it. Republicans now control the House and the Senate making ENDA’s passing before the next presidential election (in 2016) some sort of miracle.

Nonetheless we’ll cross our fingers and keep you posted.

US Politicians Push to End FCC’s Block of LGBT Web Content

For LGBT people of all ages the Internet can play an incredibly important role in terms of their queer identities. For some that might meaning reading about LGBT identities and helping them discover or come to terms with their own, for some it might just be used as an escape when their real life community is less accepting and for others, the access to LGBT resources could be a matter of life and death.

Despite this, in schools and libraries it can often be difficult to access this content due to federally-mandated web filtering systems. A huge problem for many people, several congressmen have urged the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) to fix it.

The founder and chair of the Congressional Anti-Bullying Caucus, Rep. Mike Honda, is the congressman behind the push. In a letter written to the FCC last week he explains that

“It has been reported to me that filtering software also can be used to block much more. Regrettably, Internet content filtering software can — intentionally or unintentionally — be used to block access to particular viewpoints in a discriminatory manner.”

Rep. Mike Honda, Congressional Anti-Bullying Caucus

The filters are usually in place to protect young people from harmful or inappropriate content but they regularly flag up LGBT-related content as ‘harmful or inappropriate’ due to the fact that sometimes, the people searching for LGBT content are doing it for unsavoury reasons. From that side of things it makes sense – no one is asking that they be relaxed, just that they are changed so that what should be kept out is kept out and what’s entirely acceptable makes it through – which is exactly the point of an online filter in the first place.

Ian Thompson of the American Civil Liberties Union adds that

“Unintentionally or not, internet filtering software can be employed in a discriminatory manner that denies LGBT students in crisis a much-needed lifeline for support. The FCC now has an opportunity to address this problem, and they should act to do so.”

Ian Thompson, American Civil Liberties Union

So while the FCC is yet to comment, hopefully they’ll change their policies given the importance and how much is at stake.

Homophobic Remarks During Political Debate Cause Out-cry in Brazil

A minor character in Brazil’s election faced a firestorm of criticism from activists on Monday after saying during a presidential debate that the country needs to stand up against gay people who should receive psychological help far away from the general population.

The comments by presidential candidate Levy Fidelix, who has the support of less than 1 percent of potential voters, drew no reaction from the leading candidates during the nationally televised debate late Sunday. But online and on social media tens of thousands of people denounced Fidelix as homophobic and hateful.

This presidential candidate should be prosecuted for inciting hatred, discrimination and violence. #LevyVoceENojento http://t.co/8TdKKF9q9F

— Yuri Guerra (@TheYuriGuerra) September 29, 2014

Gay rights activists urged people to file complaints against Fidelix and asked that TV stations remove him from the final presidential debate on Thursday.

Fidelix, a former journalist who founded the center-right Brazilian Labor Renewal Party, gets equal airtime in presidential debates as President Dilma Rousseff, her main opponent Marina Silva and four other presidential hopefuls.

During the debate, candidate Luciana Genro asked Fidelix why some politicians refused to accept same-sex couples as families.

He responded with…

“Those people who have those problems should receive psychological help. And very far away from us, because here it is not acceptable.”

Levy Fidelix

Some members of the audience laughed at the remarks, but social media exploded with comments accusing him of homophobia.

Congressman Jean Wyllys, known for defending rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, said on Monday that he is seeking legal advice to see whether the candidate can be sued for incitement to violence against gays.

Wyllys called Fidelix’s comments during the debate hate speech. It was “motivated by a nauseating mix of stupidity, homophobia and vulgar demagoguery,” he wrote on his Facebook page.

On Twitter and Facebook, people said “Levy, you are disgusting,” and tens of thousands were furious at his comments. Many said it was a perfect reason to approve a law that would punish discrimination against the LGBT.

Advocates have been calling for a law that would ban discrimination against the LGBT community, saying it would reduce violence against its members.

Silva has already faced complaints by gay rights activists. In August, she retracted proposals to change the constitution to allow gay marriage and to support a law that would criminalize sex-based discrimination.

A day after launching her government plan in which the proposals were revealed, Silva said there was a mistake in the publication process and clarified that she believed the same-sex unions allowed in Brazil already ensure all rights to same-sex couples.

Alaska’s Same-Sex Marriage Battle – ‘Citizens, Not The Courts Should Decide Whether Marriage Definition Includes Same-sex Couples’

Court papers filed Friday in Alaska, say Citizens, not the courts, should decide whether the definition of marriage includes same-sex couples.

The state is defending in federal court an amendment to Alaska’s constitution that bans gay marriage. In May, five same-sex couples – four married outside of Alaska and one unmarried couple – sued to overturn the ban approved by voters in 1998, saying it violates their rights to due process and equal protection under the U.S. Constitution.

In a filing Friday, attorneys for the state said citizens have a fundamental right to decide whether to make changes to important institutions through the democratic process.

“The State of Alaska does not dispute that the residents of individual states have the right to change their marriage laws. … However, the State urges that residents of Alaska possess the same fundamental right to retain the traditional definition of marriage. This basic premise of democratic government should not be usurped by the judiciary absent compelling circumstances which the State respectfully urges are not present in this case.”

The attorneys said that allowing Alaska residents to decide whether to keep the traditional definition of marriage, of being between one man and one woman, “serves the important governmental interests of supporting the democratic form of government.”

The attorneys said there is no fundamental right to same-sex marriage under the due-process clause of the U.S. Constitution. The state also argues that Alaska laws prohibiting recognition of same-sex marriages from other states or countries do not violate the plaintiffs’ constitutional rights.

The state said recent court decisions across the country in support of gay marriage don’t point to a foregone conclusion in this case but to intervention by some courts into a law-making process that should be reserved for the people.

Oral arguments in the case have been set for next month.

North Carolina’s Support for Same-Sex Marriage Increases, Issue Could Go to Vote

It’s been well documented on this site that support for same-sex marriage in the United States is on the up. Is it an unfortunate thing that there were people who didn’t support same-sex couples’ basic human rights in the first place? Absolutely. Is it wonderful that people have finally corrected their mistakes and done a tolerant 180?

Again, it is and it’s having a huge impact on the state of the USA. Also noted, the United States Supreme Court is preparing to hear a number of same-sex marriage lawsuits that will force the issue into legality whether voters like it or not but, according to stats out of North Carolina, the state’s residents don’t want the issue to go to court but with increased popularity for same-sex marriage they are prepared to take it to a vote.

Not that the sources are 100% reliable though. One survey institution, Elon University noted that 45% of voters are in favour of marriage equality in the state while 43% are against. However, their stats have seen significant, somewhat questionable movement as in March, 2014 they put support between 40 and 51 percent. That’s a pretty quick time during which to narrow the statistics down (they even said those for same-sex marriage were at 41-46% as recently as June of this year) leading to some questionable reliability, but at least the results are consistently above the 40% mark.

Meanwhile, research group American Insights further clued us in on North Carolina citizens’ feelings on marriage equality, stating that “North Carolina registered voters … believe that they, not courts, should decide the issue” and just 26% would like the issue pushed through to the courts. It’s important to note that AI are led by GOP (the conservative wing of US politics) and so there’s a clear anti same-sex marriage bias there – they even refer to marriage equality as “redefining marriage” and call opposite sex couples “traditional marriages” which is telling. But nonetheless, it is again clear that those in North Carolina want some sort of ruling.

This all comes after the state’s Attorney General Roy Cooper announced that he wouldn’t uphold the same-sex marriage ban that was overwhelmingly voted into law (61% against same-sex marriage and 38% for) back in 2012. The American Civil Liberties Union even sued the state calling the ban ‘unconstitutional’. Big movements, big words and big decisions are all on hand here, so we’ll keep you updated on what’s going on.

Bisexual People Tell Their Stories at the iconic Stonewall Inn for #BiWeek

A video has been released by GLAAD, of bisexual people speaking outside the Stonewall Inn, to celebrate Bisexual Awareness Week.

The clip, features several people discussing their experiences of being bisexual and the challenges they face as a result.

One woman observes “[tweet_dis]A myth that I hear on a regular basis? No, this is not a transition. This is not a phase. I will never come out as ‘full lesbian’[/tweet_dis]”

Another says “Since I’m a woman, being with lesbians, often [the myth] is that I’m going to leave them for a man. That’s something I’ve dealy with my entire life, and that is not true.”

Ruth Hunt of UK charity Stonewall said on Tuesday:

“Our ground-breaking health research reveals that few bisexual people are open about their sexual orientation to healthcare professionals and many have had negative experiences of the NHS or healthcare providers.

At work we see that stereotypical assumptions and beliefs about bisexual people and their lives, from both straight and gay people, mean that they feel unable to access the very initiatives that are meant to support them.

In our 2014 Workplace Equality Index Staff Survey only 65% of bisexual people said they could bring their whole self to work, compared to 84% and 82% respectively for their gay and lesbian colleagues.”

Ruth Hunt, Stonewall UK

Organisations and individuals around the world celebrated Bi Visibility Day on Tuesday – an initiative created to celebrate bisexuality and diversity within the LGBT community.

Boys Wear Skirts to School in Protest After Trans Classmate Is Fined for Doing the Same – #VouDeSaia

Being a young person in school can be difficult at the best of times. There’s the pressure of having high grades, trying to maintain a personal life during exam season and then there’s the realization that adulthood (and the responsibility that goes with it) is soon approaching. Stressful stuff. But, for transgender student Maria Muniz, things got so much more so when her school, Colégio Pedro II in Brazil, decided to fine her for wearing a skirt to school.

However, thanks to some ingenious thinking by her classmates, Colégio Pedro II may be backtracking. The decision to fine Muniz was made due to the school’s harsh dress code. While the original fine was certainly unfortunate, her classmates took it upon themselves to protest the ruling the only way they felt fit…by wearing skirts to school themselves.

Both boys and girls at the school decided to show up in skirts which caused officials to change their minds. Speaking to Brazilian publication Globo, they say that they are considering relaxing the dress code.

Not only that, but following the protest the school posted an image of the students in their skirts to Twitter which became popular on the site and saw users tweet using the hashtag #VouDeSaia in support, which translates as ‘I’ll Get By’.

Muniz also adds that “for me, wearing a skirt was about expressing my freedom over who I am inside and not how society sees me, I am really happy about the way my classmates supported me and hope it serves as an example to others to feel encouraged to do the right thing. I was always taught at school to accept who you are. I am only trying to live that.” So even if the dress code hasn’t been fully repealed (yet), Muniz’ fine has at least been overturned so it sounds like their protest paid off.

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