DOCSLIB.ORG

May 30, 2014 | Volume XII, Issue 2 Manley Calhoun Named LGBT DLC Chair by Steve Charing Increase the Diversity of the Democratic Party

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
May 30, 2014 | Volume XII, Issue 2 Manley Calhoun Named LGBT DLC Chair by Steve Charing Increase the Diversity of the Democratic Party ANO INDEPENDENTU VOICE FOR THE TLESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENDER COMMUNITIES May 30, 2014 | Volume XII, Issue 2 Manley Calhoun Named LGBT DLC Chair BY STEVE CHARING increase the diversity of the Democratic Party. the electorate.” Given his impressive background in politics, In addition, it serves to help educate other In addition to motivating voters, the DLC where he has worked for a variety of elected Democrats on LGBT issues and to engage can also act as an advisory council for the officials and campaigns, you would not think the LGBT community. In that respect, Calhoun Party and the Central Committees across the Manley Paul Calhoun III is only 31 years of says “it’s crucial that we turn out the LGBT state. The Maryland Democratic Party is the age. But politics has been his focus since high community on June 24th for the Primary Elec- first state Democratic Party to have made all school and getting more of his fellow LGBT tion and Election Day in November to make of the various DLCs official. brothers and sisters engaged in the political our voices heard.” Through this position Calhoun hopes to process is one of his key missions. Making elections relevant to the LGBT gain more visibility for the Democratic Party. This accumulation of experience led Cal- community is a challenge. “Like young people, “I plan to utilize my years of organizing experi- houn to be confirmed last month by the Mary- the LGBT community doesn’t turn out to vote ence to organize our community to play a cru- land Democratic Party Executive Committee mainly because they don’t feel government cial role in the continued growth of the Demo- as chair of its LGBT Diversity Leadership does enough for the community,” Calhoun cratic Party,” he says. “In the coming months Council (DLC). There are several such DLCs told Baltimore OUTloud. “It’s important to help you will see an increased presence of the in the Maryland Democratic Party whereby our community to understand that every vote Maryland Democratic Party at many of our each of the chairs sits on the Party’s Executive does count, and if the community and our community events, and we will work closer Committee. families vote, in time elected officials will rec- with the various LGBT organizations through- The LGBT DLC’s goal is to maintain and ognize our community as an important part of —continued on page 3 Manley Calhoun The stamp image is Putting a Stamp on Equality based on a circa 1977 black-and-white photograph BY STEVE CHARING Americans now say they know someone of Milk in front of his Castro Street cam- On May 22 the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) who is LGBT. era store in San Francisco taken by Daniel officially issued a “Forever” postage stamp “With the stamp, we honor a nation at Nicoletta of Grants Pass, Oregon. Antonio in honor of the late LGBT rights leader peace with itself,” said civil rights leader Alcalá of Alexandria, Virginia, was art di- Harvey Milk. At a first-day-of-issue dedi- Rep. John Lewis. “Thank you, Harvey rector for the stamp. The stamp conveys a cation ceremony, representatives from the Milk.” He indicated the stamp was a pow- smiling Harvey Milk with his name above White House, USPS, and the Harvey Milk erful symbol of how far America has come. his face. Next to his name is a vertical rain- Foundation honored the visionary leader Lewis added that America owed a debt to bow strip. who became one of the first openly gay Harvey Milk for being one of the pioneers The commemorative sheet contains 20 elected officials in the U.S. and an icon of pushing for freedom, just as those in the stamps. On the back of the sheet, the fol- the LGBT civil rights movement. Among civil rights movement had done years ear- lowing is written: the distinguished guests who attended the lier. “Harvey Milk (1930-1978) was a vision- ceremony were U.S. Ambassador to the “Harvey Milk today joins the pantheon ary leader who became one of the first United Nations Samantha Power, House of American greats memorialized on a U.S. openly gay elected officials in the United Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Sena- postage stamp,” said Human Rights Cam- States when he won a seat on the San tor Tammy Baldwin, Representative John paign president, Chad Griffin, in a state- —continued on page 7 Lewis, and Deputy Postmaster General ment. “It’s a fitting tribute for a brave man Ronald A. Stroman. who contributed immeasurably to strength- Milk’s call to live openly has inspired ening our democracy. His unparalleled millions of people around the globe and leadership inspired a movement and has is widely credited as the driver of LGBT had a profound effect on millions of LGBT equality efforts in the U.S. Nine out of ten people the world over.” —continued on page 10 survey ad 2 t BALTIMORE OUTLOUD MAY 3O, 2014 • BALTIMOREOUTLOUD.COM CRISEAN IS USING MusIC TO INSPIRE OTHERS – continued from page 1 NEWS // LOCAL 2nd Victim in 2012 Shooting Dies BY STEVE CHARING but he eventually succumbed after a long Lawrence Peterson, a victim in the August struggle. Longtime friend Don Davis, own- 10, 2012 shooting that killed Joseph Alex- er of the Grand Central nightclub, said of ander “Alex” Ulrich, Peterson’s death, “He was a fighter, Jr., 40, died on May but surgery after surgery I guess his 15. Both Ulrich, Jr. system could not take it any longer. and Lawrence R. Pe- So sad.” He died at 58. terson were standing Police determined robbery was on the front steps of the motive for the attack and not a a bed and breakfast hate crime though both victims were called the Empire gay. Bass’s trial had been post- House near the Bel- poned on several occasions and vedere Hotel on East has been postponed again as a re- Chase Street just sult of Peterson’s death. He will be before 4 a.m. on that charged with double homicide. day when shots rang On May 18, a memorial took out. Both victims Lawrence Peterson, place at East Park at Mount Vernon were taken to Johns Place followed by a celebration of Hopkins Hospital Peterson’s life with a walk to East where Ulrich died Lawrence Peterson Chase Street and a block party in several hours later. front of Peterson’s house. A popular The men were allegedly shot by Quin- figure in the Mount Vernon neigh- ton Bass, who had come to Baltimore from borhood, Peterson had been referred to as Raleigh, North Carolina, in 2012 and lived the “Mayor of Mount Vernon” because of in homeless shelters and vacant buildings. his desire to keep the neighborhood clean He was arrested on gun charges three and safe. weeks after the double shooting. A fund has been set up to finance causes Peterson was in critical condition and Peterson was interested in. To donate to the underwent multiple surgeries and reha- Larry Peterson Fund, visit Mvba.org/Default. bilitation as a result of shots to his torso, aspx?pageId=1859763. t MANLEY CALHOUN NAMED no longer hide my sexuality and live life as an LGBT DLC CHAIR openly gay American.” After coming out, Cal- – continued from page 1 houn committed himself to fighting for equality and became an equal-rights activist. out the state to grow the presence of the LGBT He left Congressman Kratovil’s staff in community in the Party.” 2011 but continued to work in politics, espe- Born in Baltimore City where he currently cially on local municipal races. Calhoun also resides, Calhoun also lived in Chestertown, officially joined Marylanders for Marriage Maryland, on the Eastern Shore during his Equality in 2012 – the renewed effort to pass childhood and teen years. He graduated from marriage equality – as state chair of Maryland high school there before going back to Balti- Catholics for Equality. Soon after Calhoun was more to attend the Community College of Bal- hired as an organizer for Marylanders for Mar- timore County. riage Equality and eventually became deputy Once returning to Baltimore, Calhoun director for Question 6, after the Religious began his political career after meeting then Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act Mayor Martin O’Malley. He continued to vol- was petitioned to the ballot. unteer and work on numerous campaigns, Calhoun is currently is a legislative aide which included O’Malley for mayor and gov- to Councilwoman Mary Ann Lisanti of Harford ernor, John Kerry for president, and Keiffer J. County, who is also running for the House of Mitchell, Jr. for mayor. Over the years Man- Delegates. ley continued to work in politics and business With all this political background, the ques- management, employed by local Maryland tion begs whether Manley Calhoun will eventu- companies. ally seek political office. “In the past I’ve con- In 2008 Manley joined the Kratovil for sidered running for the Baltimore City Council. Congress campaign and was hired by the Currently I’m focusing on this elections cycle Maryland Democratic Party as a regional field and the development of the LGBT DLC. I’m organizer for Maryland’s 1st Congressional still interested in running for office, but I plan to District. After a successful election he joined wait till after this November before I consider Congressman Kratovil’s staff as a community my options once again.” liaison. Soon afterwards Calhoun “decided to Stay tuned. t BALTIMORE OUTLOUD MAY 30, 2014 • BALTIMOREOUTLOUD.COM t 3 NEWS // LOCAL After Years of Failure, Transgender Bill Signed who aim to overturn the law through the referendum process.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Statewide Resources for LGBTQ+ Youth
    Statewide resources for LGBTQ+ youth State Organization Phone Address Website GLBT Advocacy & PO Box 3443, Alabama 256-425-7804 http://www.glbtays.org/ Youth Services Huntsville, AL, 35810 336 East 5th Avenue, Alaska Identity, INC 907-929-4528 http://www.identityinc.org/ Anchorage, AK, 99501 1101 N Central Avenue #202, Arizona One-n-Ten 602-475-7456 https://onenten.org/ Phoenix, AZ 85004 NWA Center For 179 N. Church Avenue Suite 101, http://www. Arkansas 479-966-9014 Equality Fayetteville, AR 72701 nwacenterforequality.org/ 2712 Telegraph Avenue, California The Pacific Center 510-548-8283 http://www.pacificcenter.org/ Berkeley, CA 94705 Stonewall Alliance 358 East 6th Street, California 530-893-3336 http://www.stonewallchico.org/ Center Chico, CA 95927 The Rainbow 2118 Willow Pass Road Suite 500, California 925-692-0090 https://www.rainbowcc.org/ Community Center Concord, California 94520 The GLBT PO Box 9798, Colorado Community Center 303-831-0442 http://www.glbtcolorado.org/ Denver, CO 80209 of Colorado 19 River Street, Connecticut Outspoken 203-227-1755 http://www.ctoutspoken.com/ Norwalk, CT 06850 576 Farmington Avenue, Connecticut True Colors 860-232-0050 http://www.ourtruecolors.org/ Hartford, CT 06105 1308 Delaware Avenue, Suite 10, Delaware J.U.S.T. For Youth 302-547-6629 http://www.justforyouthde.org/ Wilmington, DE 19806 2040 N. Dixie Highway, Florida The Pride Center 954-463-9005 http://www.glccsf.org/ Wilton Manors, FL 33305 Orlando Youth PO Box 536944, http://www. Florida 407-244-1222 Alliance Orlando, FL 32853 orlandoyouthalliance.org/ allconnect.com 1 Sunshine Social 1480 SW 9th Avenue, Florida 954-548-4602 http://www.sunserve.org/ Services Fort Lauderdale, FL 33315 The Rainbow 3111 Clairmont Road, Suite B, Georgia 404-457-1721 http://www.chriskids.org/ Program Atlanta, GA 30329 1017 Edgewood Avenue, Georgia YouthPride 404-521-9713 http://www.youthpride.org/ Atlanta, GA 30307 Fierce Youth PO Box 8551, Georgia Reclaiming and 404-532-0022 http://www.fyrerj.org/ Atlanta, GA 31106 Empowering https:// Hawaii LGBT P.O.
    [Show full text]
  • Opening the Door Transgender People National Center for Transgender Equality
    opening the door the opening The National Center for Transgender Equality is a national social justice people transgender of inclusion the to organization devoted to ending discrimination and violence against transgender people through education and advocacy on national issues of importance to transgender people. www.nctequality.org opening the door NATIO to the inclusion of N transgender people AL GAY AL A GAY NATIO N N D The National Gay and Lesbian AL THE NINE KEYS TO MAKING LESBIAN, GAY, L Task Force Policy Institute ESBIA C BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER ORGANIZATIONS is a think tank dedicated to E N FULLY TRANSGENDER-INCLUSIVE research, policy analysis and TER N strategy development to advance T ASK FORCE F greater understanding and OR equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual T and transgender people. RA N by Lisa Mottet S G POLICY E and Justin Tanis N DER www.theTaskForce.org IN E QUALITY STITUTE NATIONAL GAY AND LESBIAN TASK FORCE POLICY INSTITUTE NATIONAL CENTER FOR TRANSGENDER EQUALITY this page intentionally left blank opening the door to the inclusion of transgender people THE NINE KEYS TO MAKING LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER ORGANIZATIONS FULLY TRANSGENDER-INCLUSIVE by Lisa Mottet and Justin Tanis NATIONAL GAY AND LESBIAN TASK FORCE POLICY INSTITUTE National CENTER FOR TRANSGENDER EQUALITY OPENING THE DOOR The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute is a think tank dedicated to research, policy analysis and strategy development to advance greater understanding and equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
    [Show full text]
  • Organizations Endorsing the Equality Act
    647 ORGANIZATIONS ENDORSING THE EQUALITY ACT National Organizations 9to5, National Association of Working Women Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC A Better Balance Asian American Federation A. Philip Randolph Institute Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA) ACRIA Association of Flight Attendants – CWA ADAP Advocacy Association Association of Title IX Administrators - ATIXA Advocates for Youth Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists AFGE Athlete Ally AFL-CIO Auburn Seminary African American Ministers In Action Autistic Self Advocacy Network The AIDS Institute Avodah AIDS United BALM Ministries Alan and Leslie Chambers Foundation Bayard Rustin Liberation Initiative American Academy of HIV Medicine Bend the Arc Jewish Action American Academy of Pediatrics Black and Pink American Association for Access, EQuity and Diversity BPFNA ~ Bautistas por la PaZ American Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Brethren Mennonite Council for LGBTQ Interests American Association of University Women (AAUW) Caring Across Generations American Atheists Catholics for Choice American Bar Association Center for American Progress American Civil Liberties Union Center for Black Equity American Conference of Cantors Center for Disability Rights American Counseling Association Center for Inclusivity American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Center for Inquiry Employees (AFSCME) Center for LGBTQ and Gender Studies American Federation of Teachers CenterLink: The Community of LGBT Centers American Heart Association Central Conference
    [Show full text]
  • Lgbtq Resource Guide
    LGBTQ RESOURCE GUIDE FOR YOUTH IN PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY, MARYLAND This resource guide is the work of the Prince George’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning (LGBTQ) Youth Task Force. The task force is a coalition of more than 20 community groups and government agencies and was formed in 2006. The task force recently shortened its name and is now known as the Youth Equality Project. Our mission is to provide support and services to foster youth who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered or questioning. We advocate on their behalf, connect them with resources and host educational and social events to help them further develop life skills and establish and reach their career and personal goals. The Youth Equality Project seeks to make life better for LGBTQ youth in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Gay teens are routinely bullied at school, neglected or abused at home and can face isolation and abandonment by their families. Foster children who identify themselves as gay face especially difficult circumstances. The Youth Equality Project is sending the message to the LGBTQ youth in our community – especially to our foster youth – that their lives will get better…that they have bright futures ahead of them…that there are people – and allies– in prominent positions with amazingly successful careers who are willing to help. In sum, their lives will absolutely get better. There are very few resources for LGBTQ youth in Prince George’s County so we have included resources in Washington, DC as well as surrounding counties. As individuals begin to grow and learn more about the needs of LBGTQ youth, we are hopeful that more resources will be available in the future.
    [Show full text]
  • LGBTQ Organizations Unite in Calling for Transformational Change in Policing
    LGBTQ Organizations Unite in Calling for Transformational Change in Policing Black people have been killed, Black people are dying at the hands of police, our country is in crisis, and we all need to take action. We cannot sit on the sidelines, we cannot acquiesce, and we cannot assign responsibility to others. We, as leaders in the LGBTQ movement, must rise up and call for structural change, for divestment of police resources and reinvestment in communities, and for long-term transformational change. Now is the time to take action, and this letter amplifies our strong calls for urgent and immediate action to be taken. Ongoing police brutality and systemic racism have plagued this nation for generations and have been captured on video and laid bare to the public in the United States and around the world. In 2019, more than 1,000 people were killed at the hands of the police.1 We mourn the unacceptable and untimely deaths of Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, Sandra Bland, Philando Castile, Eric Garner, Stephon Clark, Freddie Gray, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Mya Hall, Tony McDade, Rayshard Brooks, and many more who were gone too soon. We have seen with increased frequency the shocking video footage of police brutality. Officers have been recorded instigating violence, screaming obscenities, dragging individuals out of cars, using unnecessary force, holding individuals at gunpoint, and kneeling on peoples’ necks to the desperate plea of “I can’t breathe.” These occurrences are stark reminders of a police system that needs structural changes, deconstruction, and transformation. No one should fear for their lives when they are pulled over by the police.
    [Show full text]
  • Supreme Court of the United States
    No. 19-123 IN THE Supreme Court of the United States SHARONELL FULTON, ET AL., Petitioners, v. CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, ET AL., Respondents. On Writ of Certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit BRIEF OF GLBTQ LEGAL ADVOCATES & DEFENDERS AND 27 OTHER LGBTQ ADVOCACY GROUPS AS AMICI CURIAE IN SUPPORT OF RESPONDENTS J. ANTHONY DOWNS MARY L. BONAUTO GOODWIN PROCTER LLP Counsel of Record 100 Northern Ave. GARY D. BUSECK Boston, MA 00210 PATIENCE CROZIER (617) 570-1929 GLBTQ LEGAL ADVOCATES [email protected] & DEFENDERS 18 Tremont Street, Suite 950 Boston, MA 02108 (617) 426-1350 [email protected] Counsel for Amici Curiae August 20, 2020 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTEREST OF THE AMICI CURIAE ...................... 1 SUMMARY OF ARGUMENT .................................... 2 ARGUMENT .............................................................. 4 I. The Petitioners’ Proposed Religious Exemption Would Create “Classes Among Citizens” By Denying The “Full Promise” Of Liberty And Equality To LGBTQ People. .............................................. 4 A. Judicial Rulings And Changes Through The Democratic Process Have Moved LGBTQ People Closer To Equal Citizenship In This Country. ................................................... 4 B. The Proposed Exemption Would Undermine Legal Equality For LGBT People In The Near “Limitless … Transactions And Endeavors That Constitute Ordinary Civic Life In A Free Society.” ................................................. 10 C. The Exemption Sought Here Is Unwarranted; Our Democracy Has Long Proved Capable Of Addressing These Issues. ...................... 24 CONCLUSION ......................................................... 32 TABLE OF AUTHORITIES Page(s) Cases: Barrett v. Fontbonne Acad., No. NOCV2014-751, 2015 WL 9682042 (Mass. Super. Ct. Dec. 16, 2015) ...................... 13 Bostock v. Clayton County, Ga., 140 S. Ct. 1731 (2020) ................................... 9, 29 Bowers v. Hardwick, 478 U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • The State of Marriage Equality in America" Same-Sex Marriage Bans Fueled by Prejudice and Hate and Warrant Judicial Intervention, Analysis Concludes
    [email protected] 410-576-7009 AG Frosh issues report on "The State of Marriage Equality in America" Same-Sex Marriage Bans Fueled by Prejudice and Hate and Warrant Judicial Intervention, Analysis Concludes Baltimore, MD (March 9, 2015) - With the U.S. Supreme Court set to hear a landmark same-sex marriage case next month and legislatures across the country continuing to debate the issue, Attorney General Brian E. Frosh today released a report that provides a clear argument for why the nation's highest court should recognize marriage equality instead of allowing the decision to rest with states. The report analyzes the origins of state laws prohibiting same-sex marriage, and finds that those laws have been consistently driven by fear, prejudice and hate. In fact, the report finds, state political processes have been systematically degraded by animus directed at the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. In these circumstances, it is especially appropriate for the Supreme Court to intervene and resolve the matter, Attorney General Frosh said. "Maryland has been a leader in advancing marriage equality. We must continue to play a role in making sure that everyone in the nation can enjoy the benefits of marriage regardless of sexual orientation," Attorney General Frosh said. "It is a matter of fundamental fairness." Maryland must continue to assume a leading role in advocating for marriage equality elsewhere, Attorney General Frosh said, to protect the ability of families to make major life decisions about employment, education and travel without fear that their healthcare, parental rights, medical decision-making and other rights are at risk.
    [Show full text]
  • Pushing Back: a Blueprint for Change
    Pushing Back: A Blueprint for Change Lessons Learned from the 2016 Needs Assessment of LGBTQ Marylanders Pushing Back: A Blue Print for Change Lessons Learned from the 2016 Needs Assessment of LGBTQ Marylanders December 2018 Author M. Saida Agostini Case Vignette Authors Jennifer Kent and Chrysanthemum Desir Research Assistance Hayley Libowitz, Joseph Ingrao, Ezra Halstead Editorial Assistance Chrysanthemum Desir, Ashley Flores-Maldonado, Hallie Herz, Jennifer Kent, Laura McMahon, Mark Procopio Graphic Design Eva Fury Illustrations Shanti Flagg Organizational Profile & History 4 Acknowledgments 6 Executive Summary 7 Methodology 10 Introduction 11 Demographics 12 Focus Areas 17 Street Harassment 17 Healthcare 21 Education 27 Reliable Employment 31 Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault 34 Conclusions 37 Appendix 40 Glossary of Terms 41 Survey Responses 43 Listening Session Agenda & Questions 44 Works Cited 45 Organizational Profile & History FreeState Justice is a legal services and policy advocacy organization that seeks to improve the lives of LGBTQ Marylanders. FreeState’s mission is to combine direct legal services with policy and legislative advocacy, education and outreach to ensure that all LGBTQ Marylanders have lived equality. A brief history of the two organizations that merged to create FreeState Justice follows: Equality Maryland was a key actor in FreeState Legal Project, founded in 2007, statewide civil rights movements to eliminate systemic provided direct legal services to low-income LGBTQ barriers facing LGBTQ Marylanders.
    [Show full text]
  • September 14, 2009 Dear Member of Congress, on Behalf of the Below
    September 14, 2009 Dear Member of Congress, On behalf of the below-named civil rights organizations, we urge you to become a cosponsor of the Respect for Marriage Act of 2009. The Respect for Marriage Act repeals the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which singles out lawfully married same-sex couples for discriminatory treatment under federal law, thereby denying them and them alone among married couples more than 1100 federal protections and responsibilities that would otherwise apply to them once legally married. Until DOMA was enacted in 1996, federal law deferred to states in determining who could marry and be considered married, and the principle of comity and constitutional guarantee of full faith and credit governed states’ obligations to honor marriages validly celebrated elsewhere. DOMA was an unprecedented departure from these long-established rules. Not only does DOMA purport to allow states to refuse to recognize valid civil marriages of same-sex couples (§ 2), it carves all same-sex couples, even those who have taken on the serious legal responsibilities of civil marriage and are recognized as married under state law, out of all federal statutes, regulations, and rulings applicable to all other married people (§ 3). As a result, legally married same-sex spouses cannot: • File their taxes jointly • Receive spousal, mother’s and father’s, or surviving spouse benefits under Social Security even though they pay into Social Security throughout their careers • Take unpaid leave to care for a sick or injured spouse • Receive employer-provided family health benefits without paying an additional tax that different-sex spouses do not pay • Receive the same family health and retirement/pension benefits as fellow married employees • Be protected by the safe harbor provisions in bankruptcy law, Medicaid rules and other federal statutes that secure some resources and the family home when debts of one spouse threaten to leave both financially responsible spouses destitute.
    [Show full text]
  • Curriculum Victory in Montgomery County, Maryland: a Case Study and Handbook for Action
    CURRICULUM VICTORY MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MARYLAND A CASE STUDY AND HANDBOOK FOR ACTION BY DAVID FISHBACK CURRICULUM VICTORY IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MARYLAND: A CASE STUDY AND HANDBOOK FOR ACTION INTRODUCTION What schools do in their health education curricula and in their guidance offices can be vital. The deafening silence of our schools regarding matters of sexual orientation that was the near-universal approach in the recent past was never wise, and is certainly no longer viable. A number of public school systems are demonstrating that providing accurate information on sexual orientation is the appropriate way to proceed. Yet, many school systems may be afraid to deal with these issues. School board members and school administrators are often leery of getting into the middle of the "culture wars" or seeming to promote some suspect "gay agenda." So in preparing to raise these issues with your local school system, you should be ready to define the "gay agenda" in education: It is simply to enable students to understand what our mainstream medical and mental health care professional associations have concluded -- specifically, that being gay is not an illness, that "reparative" or "conversion" therapies are dangerous and destructive, that LGBT people can live happy and healthy lives, and that children of LGBT parents do just fine. We need to convey to school officials (and our communities at large) that these conclusions are not ideological positions, but are, rather, the collective wisdom of the mainstream scientific, medical, and mental
    [Show full text]
  • The Annual Update of the Aclu's Nationwide Work on Lgbt Rights and Hiv/Aids
    THE ANNUAL UPDATE OF THE ACLU’S NATIONWIDE WORK ON LGBT RIGHTS AND HIV/AIDS We can, in a generation or less, win what seemed hardly a dream but a few years ago... a world in which discrimination against LGBT people is no more. American Civil Liberties Foundation LESBIAN GAY BISEXUAL TRANSGENDER & AIDS PROJECT 125 Broad Street, 18th Floor New York, NY 10004 212-549-2627 [email protected] aclu.org/lgbt aclu.org/hivaids LGBT & AIDS ANNUAL UPDATE 2007 Table of Contents 5 INTRODUCTION 77 CONTRIBUTORS 8 The “Unitary Executive,” Anti-Gay Constitutional Amendments, 87 ABOUT US and the Trashing of Basic American Values 88 STAFF PARENTING 90 COOPERATING ATTORNEYS 14 Reporting the Truth About the Science on LGBT Parenting 16 Parenting Docket SCHOOLS & YOUTH 22 Stifling Student Speech Threatens Equality for All Americans 24 Schools & Youth Docket RELATIONSHIPS 36 Can 10 Couples Change the World? 38 Relationships Docket TRANSGENDER 50 Bias Behind Bars: Transgender Inmates Face Discrimination 52 Transgender Docket DISCRIMINATION 58 Civil Rights Protections Needn’t Threaten Religious Freedom 60 Discrimination Docket HIV/AIDS 70 The High Price of Easing HIV Testing Regulations 72 HIV/AIDS Docket INTRODUCTION Freedom has never been the price of safety. Instead of security, giving up free dom has always bought us shame and regret. n the price of safety. Instead e dom has always bought us 8 Introduction The “Unitary Executive,”Anti-Gay Constitutional Amendments, and the Trashing of Basic American Values philosophers, the federal and all state constitu- executive abuse. Woodrow Wilson’s administra- BY MATT COLES tions split government into a policy-making tion blew off the courts and ran raids on political branch (Congress or the state legislatures), an dissidents without warrants or evidence of wrong- operations division (the executive) and a dispute doing.
    [Show full text]
  • May 11, 2021 Jeffrey Zirger Information Collection Review
    May 11, 2021 Jeffrey Zirger Information Collection Review Office Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 1600 Clifton Road NE, MS-D74 Atlanta, Georgia 30329 Submitted via regulations.gov Re: Proposed Data Collection Submitted for Public Comment and Recommendations (Docket No. CDC-2021-0023) Dear Jeffrey Zirger, We write in response to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s notice with comment on a proposed information collection for the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (86 FR 14115).1 Specifically, we aim to address the need for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to add data collection on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) to the standardized core questionnaire of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) and to initiate the content testing process for intersex questions. This letter is submitted on behalf of 64 organizations committed to advancing equality and opportunity for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI) people in the United States. Our interest and expertise in this area compel us to communicate the need for SOGI data measures to be incorporated into BRFSS’ standardized core questionnaire. Doing so will offer valuable insight into the demographics, health, and wellbeing of LGBTQI Americans and is critical to capturing a more comprehensive, accurate, and data-driven understanding of health disparities faced by LGBTQI communities and developing evidence-based policy interventions. This comment speaks to the current composition and purpose
    [Show full text]