A US Navy ensign was offered call names like ‘gay boy,’ ‘fagmeister,’ and ‘Romo’s bitch.’

Rejected Idol sues for anti-gay discrimination, harassment

Rejected Idol sues for anti-gay discrimination, harassment

Withers: Hockey GM fights homophobia in schools

[1] [2]

Brian Burke [3], the GM for the Toronto Maple Leafs, was the main speaker when Egale Canada [4], the country’s national gay and lesbian political rights organization, launched a new site. Called MyGSA.ca [5], the web address serves as an information center for Canadian teachers and their gay and lesbian students.Burke talked about his son, Brendan [6]; the young man, a senior at Miami University and advocate for gay rights, died in an early February car accident. Before his untimely death, father and son were profiled on ESPN [7]. The story focused on a young gay man and the support he received from his father, family, and the Maple Leafs organization.

The elder Burke wants to continue the good work his son started. This means making sure gay and lesbian students can attend school without harassment

“I hate bullies,” he said. “We have to get to the point where everyone can go to school free of fear.” [8]

Burke is convinced there is a closeted player in the NHL, but fear keeps that unknown player from stepping out. It’s not clear if Burke by himself can sweep that away. That job takes more than one man; however, he gets points for being a great father and doing his best to make sure no kid feels he/she has to hide.

[1] http://outsports.com/jocktalkblog/2010/05/18/brian-burke-fights-homophobia-in-schools/
[2] http://www.365gay.com/wp-content/uploads/Burkes-top.jpg
[3] http://outsports.com/jocktalkblog/2010/05/18/brian-burke-fights-homophobia-in-schools/
[4] http://www.egale.ca/
[5] http://mygsa.ca/first
[6] http://www.365gay.com/news/burke-talks-about-sons-death/
[7] http://outsports.com/jocktalkblog/2009/11/25/nhl-gm-brian-burke-supports-his-gay-son/
[8] http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/keeping-his-sons-voice-alive-brian-burke-joins-fight-against-homophobia/article1572404/

Illinois anti-bullying law moves to governor’s desk

The Illinois House of Representatives voted unanimously Friday to approve legislation making schools safer for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students.

The anti-bullying legislation specifically prevents harassment of students based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

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“Passing a statewide anti-bullying bill was one of our top legislative priorities for this year,” CEO of Equality Illinois Bernard Cherkasov told ChicagoPride.com [2] last week.

Schools will be required to adopt policies that protect students from bullying and violence.

The bill’s next stop is Gov. Pat Quinn’s desk for signing.

[1] http://www.365gay.com/wp-content/uploads/news-bullying-lgbt-top.jpg
[2] http://www.chicagopride.com/news/article.cfm/articleid/10266100

Ruby-Sachs: Supreme Court case pits gay activists v. free speech

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There is a very important case arriving in the Supreme Court tomorrow. Referendum 71 was a ballot initiative in Washington attempting to undo domestic partnership privileges for same-sex couples. Many signed the petition for the law, but ultimately their regressive bid failed. Still, gay rights groups want to release the names from the petition on a searchable website. Under Washington law, that kind of disclosure is mandatory.

But the lawyer for the other side argues that the release of names on the web will lead to the intimidation and harassment of those individuals who signed the petition.

That argument holds little water. Although courts have, in the past, found that harassment did occur against homophobic individuals in the wake of Prop 8, the objective evidence illustrates that there is not one case of harassment or intimidation resulting from the political participation of homophobic individuals. The worst we saw was a highly organized and very legal boycott of certain businesses in California – a political initiative that is the very expression of democracy in the U.S.

However, that doesn’t mean that releasing the names won’t affect free speech in Washington. Individuals who already signed the petition obviously feel that the release of their names will harm their reputation or livliehood (frankly, it should). And that feeling, that fear, results in a chill on free speech. Public petitions might discourage some from signing certain petitions calling for certain laws.

The Supreme Court has to decide if the chill on free speech outweighs the public’s right to access its political process. Is it unconstitutional free speech? If you listen to the presentation tomorrow, you will likely get a feel for how the court is going to decide. The result of this case could seriously affect the political process, certainly around gay marriage, for many years to come.

Transcripts of the oral arguments are available here [2] and the transcripts from this case will be up some time before the end of the day tomorrow.

[1] http://www.365gay.com/wp-content/uploads/news-supreme-court-top.jpg
[2] http://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts.aspx

Withers: NY rep accused of harassment

New York Democrats are having a lousy week. Gov. David Paterson is hanging on by a thread. Rep. Charles Rangel lost his powerful committee chairmanship due to ethical lapses. Lastly Rep. Eric Massa announced he was not seeking reelection because of health reasons.

The western New York representative does have non-Hodgkin’s …