Students protest Prop. 8 ruling with mock marriages
Megan Belchamber handed her carton of chocolate milk to a friend to hold while she “married” Natalie Salagean in a lunchtime ceremony Tuesday at Palm Springs High School.
After the ceremony, the sophomores tied a gold ribbon around each others’ ring fingers to symbolize the bond.
The two are members of the Palm Springs High School Gay-Straight Alliance.
They joined about 70 other couples in mock wedding ceremonies in support of marriage equality.
Students organized and participated in the rally in response to the California Supreme Court’s recent ruling to uphold Proposition 8, passed by California voters, which states marriage is between a man and a woman.
“We were disappointed for about five minutes, then we stood up and decided we wanted to send a really strong message,” said Vanessa Wilcox, president of the alliance. See Students protest Prop. 8 ruling with mock marriages The Desert Sun
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CA Supreme Court Upholds Student Civil Rights Act
(Sacramento, June 1, 2009) –Today, a Sacramento Superior Court dismissed a lawsuit seeking to invalidate SB 777, the California Student Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination against students on the basis of race, religion, disability, gender, and sexual orientation. The lawsuit was brought by a right-wing group that specifically objected to protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students. The court held that the plaintiffs had failed to show any way in which the statute was even allegedly unlawful.
“We are pleased the court rejected this attack on the Student Civil Rights Act,” said Carolyn Laub, Gay-Straight Alliance Network Executive Director. “School should be safe place for all children, including those who are—or are perceived to be—lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.”
The lawsuit was filed on November 5, 2008. State Superintendent Jack O’Connell, represented by California Attorney General Jerry Brown, filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit on January 8, 2009. On March 19, 2009, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, Lambda Legal, the Transgender Law Center, Equality California, and Gay-Straight Alliance Network filed a friend-of-the-court brief supporting the motion to dismiss.
Governor Schwarzenegger signed SB 777 into law on October 12, 2007. SB 777 reinforced existing anti-discrimination protections in publicly-funded schools and updated the Education Code so that teachers and administrators do not have to cross-reference other parts of state law to understand their obligations to protect students from harassment and discrimination in all school activities. The bill was sponsored by Equality California, the state’s LGBT legislative organization, and authored by former Senator Sheila Kuehl.
According to the 2001 California Healthy Kids Survey, nearly 30 percent of California youth in grades 7 to 11 report experiencing harassment or bullying based on their actual or perceived race, ethnicity, religion, disability, gender, or sexual orientation.
Equality California (EQCA) is the largest statewide lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender-rights advocacy organization in California. In the past decade, EQCA has strategically moved California from a state with extremely limited legal protections for LGBT individuals to a state with some of the most comprehensive civil-rights protections in the nation. EQCA has passed over 50 pieces of legislation and continues to advance equality through legislative advocacy, public education and community empowerment. www.eqca.org
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Statewide Action: On Heels of Prop 8 Ruling, “Meet in the Middle for Equality” Rallies ,Civil Rights Advocates in Fresno for LGBT Equality on a Federal Level
WHEN:
Saturday, May 30, 2009, 1st Statewide Action After the Proposition 8 Decision
7:50 a.m. – Equality March Kickoff; 8:00 a.m. - March from Selma to Fresno
1:00 p.m. – Rally at steps of Fresno City Hall
WHERE:
March from the intersection of W. Front St. and Whitson St. in Selma, CA, then along the Golden State Highway to the Meet in the Middle rally location at Fresno City Hall, 2600 Fresno Street, Fresno, CA 93721
WHO:
Equality March speakers at Selma Kick-off include:
Anne-Marie Williams of Jordan/Rustin Coalition
Nii-Quartelai Quartey of Courage Campaign
Yardenna Aaron of Here to Stay Coalition
Andrea Shorter of Equality California (EQCA)
Roland Palencia of HONOR PAC (English/Spanish-language)
Rally Speakers at Fresno City Hall Location include:
Robin Tyler, the original plaintiff in Tyler vs. the County of Los Angeles
Angelica Salas, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles
Molly McKay, Marriage Equality USA
Christine Chavez, Latino and African-American Leadership Alliance and Granddaughter of Cesar Chavez
Kate Kendell, National Center for Lesbian Rights
Rabbi Denise Eger, Congregation Kol Ami & California Faith for Equality
Father Geoff Farrow, Former Catholic Priest for Fresno’s Saint Paul Newman Center
Lt. Dan Choi, West Point graduate, recently discharged under “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell”
Reverend Eric Lee, Southern Christian Leadership Conference
Reverend Dr. Amos Brown, Third Baptist Church, San Francisco
Rick Jacobs, Chair and Founder of the Courage Campaign
Cleve Jones, founder of Names Project AIDS Memorial Quilt and Harvey Milk intern
Dustin Lance Black, Academy Award Winning Screenwriter for Milk
“With this ruling, Californians are experiencing a great loss – a loss of justice, loss of compassion, and a loss of humanity. But rather than become disabled by our grief, we must shift our shame to strength and revitalize for the sake of the entire American LGBT community. We must use this ruling as a catalyst for an even greater goal and a greater good,” said Robin McGehee, lead organizer for Meet in the Middle.
Over 100 organizations from around the state have endorsed Meet in the Middle for Equality. The Courage Campaign and White Knot for Equality are providing buses to bring activists and progressive allies from San Diego, Los Angeles, Sacramento and San Francisco to the middle of California. Additional active participants include the California Nurses Association, Dolores Huerta Foundation, Equality Action NOW, Equality California (EQCA), Equal Roots, Freedom Action Inclusive Rights (F.A.I.R.), Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) Network, HONOR PAC, Jordan/Rustin Coalition, Marriage Equality USA, Martin Luther King Legacy Association, NAACP Youth and College Division, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Greater Los Angeles, and the Third Baptist Church of San Francisco.
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Pioneering gay student athlete says schools must protect all students
Ten years after drawing national attention for coming out while serving as co-captain of his high school football team, Middleton native Corey Johnson told attendees at the annual conference of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network of Boston (GLSEN Boston), that his own visit to the conference a decade ago was instrumental in his decision to come out publicly. Speaking to a crowd of youth, teachers and administrators gathered at Jamaica Plain’s English High School on May 1 Johnson recalled traveling to that year’s conference on the Tufts University campus on a bus with his school’s gay/straight alliance (GSA), but the Masconomet Regional High School student sat as far away from the GSA kids as possible for fear that people would think he was gay. Yet arriving at the conference completely changed his perspective. See Pioneering gay student athlete says schools must protect all students
Bay Windows * Tags = gay men gay news lesbian news transgender bisexual
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Anti-Gay Bullying At Some Kennewick Schools. School Leaders Working on Changes
KENNEWICK, Wash.– Anti-gay bullying in school for some students is a daily battle. One student at Kamiakin High describes what it’s like through her eyes. “I know friends that have gotten serious threats and they either go home for a few days, or transfer schools,” said Taylor Pack, a student. Pack says her and others have asked school staff to start a Gay Straight Alliance on campus, but were told it wouldn’t be well received. Kennewick staff know it’s a problem they need to address. “Kids are experiencing rejection for no good reason and I think we have work to do to fix that,” said Wendy London, a member of the Kennewick School Board. That’s why about two weeks ago London attended a meeting at the Vista Youth Center. There she heard feedback from students like Taylor. It was a first for London and may also be the first step toward change. “We are concerned about student safety and we can’t address policy unless we have information about what’s actually going on in our schools,” said London. London says while there may be some resistance at first, no tolerance for bullying policies are among some of the changes she hopes to see in the future.
KNDO/KNDU * Tags = gay men gay news lesbian news transgender bisexual
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LGBTQ Student Rights in the Wake of Tragic Suicides
Statement from Kevin Cathcart, Executive Director of Lambda Legal:
“The tragic deaths of Jaheem Herrera and Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover underscore the importance of safe schools where harassment and violence based on racist, sexist, antigay or other biased attitudes are not tolerated. Unfortunately, there is much work to be done. Harassment of LGBTQ students and those perceived to be LGBT remains a serious problem across the country. Lambda Legal pledges to continue to stand up for students and hold schools accountable for preserving their rights and integrity. We applaud schools that stand up for safety and respect for all students because any student can be the target of LGBT-related bullying and harassment.
Lambda Legal will join the Faith and Community Alliance and other community groups at a vigil for Jaheem Herrera on Tuesday, April 28, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., First Christian Church of Decatur ,601 West Ponce de Leon Ave., Decatur, GA.
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Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2009/04/lgbtq-student…
Students’ silence supports gay rights
More than a third of all Vashon High School students took part in the national Day of Silence April 17, showing their support for the school’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning (LGBTQ) community by refraining from speaking all day. They wore stickers indicating their level of participation: completely silent, silent unless speaking was necessary or speaking but supportive of the day’s actions. Those who chose silence, said teacher Marcella Murphy, did so “because gay and lesbian students feel silenced by their peers. They feel they can’t speak out on who they really are because they feel harassed or bullied.” The event raises awareness of the LGBTQ community at Vashon High School and nationwide, said Murphy, advisor of the school’s Gay Straight Alliance, which sponsored the event.
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LGBT Youth to Call for Harvey Milk Day and More in Sacramento
The event is sponsored by Gay-Straight Alliance Network, Equality California Institute, BIENESTAR, Transgender Law Center, The Trevor Project, and the National Association of Social Workers California Chapter.
Learn more at www.gsanetwork.org
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NY school sued by Lambda Legal agrees to GSA
(Philadelphia, New York) Just days after a federal lawsuit was filed against the Indian River Central School District, the District has agreed to allow Ashley Petranchuk to form a Gay-Straight Alliance.
The suit, filed last week, claimed that Charlie Pratt endured years of anti-gay harassment during his time at Indian River …
Tags: Ashley, Federal Lawsuit, Gay Straight Alliance, Gsa, Harassment, Lambda Legal, Philadelphia New York, PrattLambda warns school officials : hands off South Medford High School student and Gay Straight Alliance
(Medford, Oregon, April 17, 2009) — Lambda Legal has sent a letter of support to South Medford High School Principal Kevin Campbell, Medford School District Superintendent Phil Long, and the School Board on behalf of South Medford High School student and Gay Straight Alliance member Connie McNair.
The letter objects that school officials have been imposing restrictions on the Medford High GSA to which no other on-campus group is subject and that seriously burden club members’ free speech and associational rights. These include requiring GSA members to get prior approval for their announcements and activities from an assistant principal, deeming the club’s legitimate educational activities illicit “proselytizing,” and even prohibiting the club from formally announcing today’s “Day of Silence.” The Day of Silence is a national event calling attention to anti-gay bullying and harassment in schools.
In the letter, Lambda Legal Staff Attorney Tara Borelli writes “While we hope that the school’s actions to deter the GSA’s activities are simply the result of confusion about its obligations, the law in this area is well-established and school’s unequal treatment of the GSA is difficult to understand and should be remedied swiftly.”
In addition to the freedom of speech guaranteed by the Constitution, public school students are also protected by the federal Equal Access Act. The EAA says that if a school receives federal funds and allows extracurricular student groups to meet, it cannot discriminate against any of the groups based on the content of its speech. GSA groups across the country have used the EAA in court to protect their right to free speech.
“It’s simply unlawful for South Medford High School to create unequal obstacles for Connie or the GSA, or to stifle the GSA’s announcements about the Day of Silence,” said Borelli. “We want to remind South Medford school officials that they have a responsibility to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students, and we’re asking them to lift any restriction applying to the GSA but not to other groups.
“All we want is safety and equality within our school,” said McNair. “Our GSA members want
students, school officials, and the community to know that we can’t be discriminated against based on our speech or activities.” * Tags = gay men gay news lesbian news transgender bisexual
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Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2009/04/lambda-warns-…
