McEntee: Discrimination is still with us
o Salt Lake City is stepping out, urging a new anti-discrimination law that actually includes sexual orientation and gender identity in the traditional list of those affected by housing and employment discrimination. Take that, all you legislators who have squashed any such thinking on the state level, arguing disingenuously that “choosing to be gay” is not grounds for civil rights protection. Mayor Ralph Becker, a Democratic representative for 11 years, knows all about that ruse. And one of the most fascinating things is how the city’s Human Rights Commission got there: Its members sat down and talked to people in five “dialogues on discrimination” late last year. No lectures, no surveys. Just conversations about classism/poverty, people with disabilities, racism, faith and sexual orientation. Kilo Zamora, whose nonprofit Inclusion Center trained the commissioners, says the opener was, “How’s the city doing, and do you think there’s discrimination here?” As people talked, it became evident that race, gender, class, income and religious biases “we thought we had buried in the ’60s were much alive in our communities,” he says. People were shocked. “Are you sure?” they would ask. “I never knew racism was still alive!”
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Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2009/07/mcentee-discr…
Gay Filipino Wins Asylum Case in Historic Decision New America Media
n a possible precedent-setting case, a gay Filipino man was granted political asylum on May 21, 2009 based on his claim that he would suffer persecution in his homeland for being a homosexual. Immigration Judge Loreto Geisse granted the asylum application of Philip Belarmino, a 43-year-old gay man from the Philippines, preventing him from being deported from the United States.
Immigration law experts generally believe that applications for asylum based on gender are nearly impossible to win. Belarmino also had to overcome the one year statutory bar for the filing of asylum applications from the time of entry in the United States as he filed his application more than one year after his arrival.
Belarmino was represented by Ted Laguatan, a certified immigration law specialist who has won major cases against the U.S. government and corporations not only in immigration law but also in civil cases involving millions of dollars.
Belarmino was an English professor in the Philippines for 17 years prior to his arrival in 2005 on a visitor’s visa. He testified that when he was 9 years old and again when he was 11 years old, he was forced to engage in anal and oral sex by older boys. And at age 16, threatened with a knife, a houseboy forced him to do oral and anal sex at various times. He testified that he did not report these incidents to his parents as he did not want them to know he was gay – which would have traumatized them. See Gay Filipino Wins Asylum Case in Historic Decision
New America Media
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Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2009/06/gay-filipino-…
Same-sex marriages gradually gain legal ground
“There’s a sense people have — a sense of inevitability — and a tremendous sense of frustration because of the history of the gay rights fight in Maine,” said Michael Heath, executive director of the Maine Family Policy Council.
Those rights are expanding as legally married gay couples relocate to states that don’t allow same-sex marriage, forcing courts, legislatures and employers to deal with the resulting issues of custody, divorce, inheritance and end-of-life decisions.
The adoption ruling in Maine had the effect of granting parental rights to same-sex couples. By the time the Legislature adjourns for the summer, experts expect Maine to become the fifth state to legalize same-sex marriage — 11 years after voters banned it.
In California, federal judges have twice overruled decisions by the federal government to deny healthcare coverage to gay employees’ legal spouses, teeing up a constitutional challenge to the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which forbids federal benefits for same-sex couples.
Same-sex marriage is legal in Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont and Massachusetts, which began the trend five years ago. (Iowa issued its first marriage licenses April 27, a few weeks after its Supreme Court gave approval; weddings in Vermont will begin in September.) Within a year, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey and New York will probably follow suit, say sexual orientation scholars at the UCLA School of Law’s Williams Institute; New Hampshire’s Senate approved a same-sex marriage bill Wednesday.
And as more same-sex couples wed in places where it is legal, the administrative fallout in other states is expected to keep expanding.
“The courts are going to have to wrestle with these issues as more and more states make it possible for people to marry,” said Toni Broaddus, executive director of the San Francisco-based Equality Federation. “People don’t stay in the same state for their whole lives anymore, so the courts in states without marriage equality are going to have to address these issues.”
The recent moves in New England and the heartland to legalize gay marriage appeared to reinvigorate campaigns for passage of same-sex marriage bills in Maine, Maryland and Hawaii. Rights advocates predict the tide will eventually sweep even into some of the 30-plus states that have passed laws or constitutional amendments defining marriage as between a man and a woman.
“A body of law is emerging because it has no choice. Cases have been filed and they have to be decided one way or another,” said Joseph Milizio, a Long Island lawyer specializing in gay and lesbian representation.
The legal developments allow people to become comfortable with “the fact that gay marriage is going to be recognized in many different aspects, even in states that don’t allow it,” said Milizio, whose firm recently secured the first dissolution of a same-sex marriage in New York.
In the workplace, proponents of extending spousal rights such as healthcare benefits and life insurance to same-sex couples have succeeded by challenging employment practices that discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation. Seven states, including California, now guarantee full equality to same-sex couples — another incremental advance that is lamented by opponents.
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Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2009/05/same-sex-marr…
ACC reluctant to acknowledge lesbian fans
GREENSBORO – Donna George waited until the final day of spring break before sitting her parents down in the kitchen to reveal her secret. “Mom, Dad,” she said, “I’m gay.”
It’s been 11 years since George, a devoted follower of women’s basketball, came out. She hopes it’s not as long before the ACC women’s tournament does the same.
“If you look at it from a strictly business view, it makes perfect sense,” said George, who lives in Columbia, S.C., and is attending this year’s ACC women’s tournament — her fourth in as many years — with her partner. “Anyone who thinks (lesbians) aren’t a big asset to this (tournament) needs to check out all the bars this week and the restaurants we give our money to. It just makes sense that the league would want to see more of us at the games.”
And, in fact, ACC officials want to see much more of basketball fans like George. Just don’t expect the league to court them directly — not any time soon, at least.
See ACC reluctant to acknowledge lesbian fans
Greensboro News Record
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Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2009/03/acc-reluctant…
Award-winning journalist Kevin Naff to direct both Genre Magazine and Washington Blade’s editorial vision
NEW YORK — Genre Magazine, a division of Window Media LLC, the nation’s largest gay publishing group, today announced the appointment of veteran LGBT journalist Kevin Naff as Editor-in-Chief of Genre Magazine. He will be responsible for the day-to-day operations and strategic planning for the magazine, while continuing his post as Editor of Washington Blade — the nation’s oldest, largest and most respected gay newspaper — celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2009. The announcement was made today by William Kapfer, Genre Publisher and Window Media Co-President.
Naff joins Genre after more than six years with the Washington Blade, including nearly three as editor, where he has overseen a senior team of editors and reporters responsible for covering some of the country’s most historic political events and its leaders. Naff is an award-winning journalist, columnist and blogger known for his provocative approach to analyzing the news. In addition to recurring guest commentator spots on Sirius/XM satellite radio and National Public Radio (NPR), he has been tapped for national appearances on such shows as Fox News’ “O’Reilly Factor,” CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360″ and CBS’ Logo network.
William Kapfer, Genre Vice President & Publisher and Window Media Co-President, says: “Kevin brings a real passion for LGBT journalism, and an appreciation for the vital role Window Media’s collection of print and digital assets bring to the community. Our readers demand flexibility not just in the content they receive, but also in how that content is delivered. This appointment underscores Genre’s mission to continue to produce the top quality magazine in our category–while continuing to provide readers with easily accessible, fresh, original content across our suite of integrated media channels.”
“I’m excited to join the team at Genre and help build on the magazine’s colorful history,” Naff said. “I look forward to advancing Genre’s mission, while also celebrating this year, the Blade’s 40th year as the nation’s leading LGBT news source.”
Prior to joining the Blade, Naff worked for Reuters as a financial journalist in New York, then spent four years at the Baltimore Sun, launching its web site in 1996. He served as vice president of business development for an online startup and as a private consultant before returning to journalism at the Blade. Naff sits on several boards, including the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association D.C. chapter, Live Baltimore and the Pennsylvania State University gay alumni organization. He lives in Baltimore with his partner of 11 years.* Tags = gay men gay news lesbian news transgender bisexual
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Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2009/03/award-winning…
‘HomoRadio’ gives voice and support to Capital Region’s gay community
In 1994, Sean McLaughlin was a 15-year-old who hadn’t yet revealed to his friends and family he was gay. Although he felt alone, every Sunday he could sneak up to his bedroom, put on headphones and listen to “HomoRadio.” “Listening to the program connected me to the gay community, kept me abreast on news and gave me a lot of information,” said McLaughlin, 29. It also gave him the strength to come out to his parents and friends, and to find his place in the world. He has hosted the program for the past 11 years.
“HomoRadio” has been a bastion of the Capital Region’s gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community for 16 years. It stands as a rallying point for gay rights, which often seem to be under attack.
In November, for example, the passing of California’s Proposition 8, which denied same-sex couples the right to marry, spurred the gay-rights movement to action. And “HomoRadio” was there, calling for California, New York and other states to recognize the rights of gays by allowing same-sex marriage.
From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. each Sunday, the show on WRPI features activists, performers and organizers. McLaughlin often chats about the serious and silly with co-hosts Ray Werking, Heidi Davis, Ulysses D’Armis and Joe Laux. See ‘HomoRadio’ gives voice and support to Capital Region’s gay community
Albany Times Union, NY
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Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2009/01/homoradio-giv…
