Trangender rights bill passes NY Assembly, faces uphill battle
The Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act quietly passed throught the New York Assembly on Tuesday with at 91-40 vote. This is the third consecutive year the Assembly passed the bill that protects transgender New Yorkers from discrimination in housing and employment.
The bill now faces a series of hurdles in the Senate, …
Tags: Discrimination, Employment, Faces, Gender Expression, Hurdles, New Yorkers, Senate, Third Consecutive Year, Transgender, Uphill Battle, Vote, York AssemblyWithers: New York Times’ article focuses on “transgender court”
The fundies have another reason to say New York City is “not real America.” An article in yesterday’s New York Times focused on a Manhattan court that has turned into the place where transgender New Yorkers go to have their names officially changed.
“Changing a name might seem like a minor …
Tags: Fundies, Manhattan Court, New York City, New York Times, New Yorkers, Reason, Transgender, Withers, York Times ArticleNew York gov extends protections to transgender New Yorkers
From HRC:
(Albany, NY) New York Governor David A. Paterson issued an executive order extending anti-discrimination policies to gender identity for state employees Wednesday.
“Governor Paterson has taken significant action to advance equality for all New York state employees,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “The ability to provide for our …
New Yorkers: How to get to the Equality March
Sure, there’s plane, Amtrak and Bolt Bus - but you can also hitch a ride with one of the many buses going from NYC to DC this Sunday for the Equality March.
Buses leave from Williamsburg, Chelsea (where you can ride with NYC Countil Speaker Christine Quinn), the Upper West Side/Columbia, …
Tags: Amtrak, Buses, Chelsea, Christine Quinn, Columbia, Equality, Hitch A Ride, New Yorkers, Upper West Side, WilliamsburgReport Shows LGBT Health Disparities
A new report on the non-HIV health and human service needs of LGBT people in New York state shows significant disparities compared to non-LGBT people, reflecting national trends exacerbated by lack of adequate data and homophobia.
The state-sponsored report, the first of its kind for New York, was prepared by researcher Somjen Frazer and published by the Empire State Pride Agenda. It is based on government data, interviews with 60 LGBT health and human services experts, and surveys of 3,500 LGBT New Yorkers.
Key findings of the report, according to Somjen, include the pervasiveness of homelessness, which poses a substantial barrier to service access. Fourteen percent of LGBT people, including one-third of transgender respondents, reported being homeless currently or at one point in their lives.
Lack of culturally competent care also creates hurdles, with 40% of LGBT respondents saying that too few health professionals were adequately trained to deliver services to LGBT patients. Moreover, 27% said they feared they would be treated differently if their health care provider learned they were LGBT.
See Report Shows LGBT Health Disparities
Advocate.com
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New Study Finds Gap in LGBT Health Services
With all the media coverage lately around Gay Pride events, as well as around marriage equality, it is ironic that so little is really known about the lives and health needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. This lack of specific information on the LGBT community is not just an academic problem; policymakers, especially those in government, demand real numbers to document the existence of problems. This is particularly true in these tough economic times, as funders, government officials and state agencies rightly demand efficient programs that are targeted like laser beams on specific, documented problems. In this context as with so many things, knowledge equals power: the power to allocate resources and work to fix these problems.
At the national level, researchers have estimated that LGBT people lag behind on seven of the ten targets set by the U.S. government to improve health nationally, called Healthy People 2010. In New York City, we know that LGBT lag behind on at least six of NYC’s health goals, called Take Care New York. However, most states do not measure sexual orientation on their health surveys, and none have consistently measured gender identity.
As researchers and advocates, we are working to change that. In our recent work funded by the New York State Department of Health interviewing 60 experts in health and human services and surveying 3,500 LGBT New Yorkers about their health and human service needs, we have found some striking disparities between their experiences and those of non-LGBT people. Empire State Pride Agenda has just this week published these findings in a report entitled “LGBT Health and Human Service Needs in New York State.”
See New Study Finds Gap in LGBT Health Services
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Gay New Yorkers Head to Greenwich for Weddings
GREENWICH, Conn. — They wanted a New York wedding. “Our lives are here; our friends are here,” said Janis Castaldi, 56, who lives in Westchester County with Lizz Endrich, the woman she married on May 21.
But New York has not approved same-sex marriage. “It got to the point where it doesn’t look 100 percent good right now. When you have Greenwich, Conn., 20 minutes away, I said, ‘Why are we waiting?’ ”
And so another couple from outside Connecticut made what is becoming a familiar pilgrimage to this border town of wealth and privilege, the first municipality over the state line by Interstate 95 or Metro-North.
From Nov. 12, 2008, the day same-sex marriages became legal in Connecticut, through the end of May, 139 same-sex couples applied for a marriage license and wed in Greenwich. All but three of them were been from out of state, most from New York City, according to Barbara Lowden, the town’s assistant registrar of vital statistics.
The town has the most same-sex marriages in Connecticut; statewide figures through February, the most recent available, showed Greenwich as the wedding spot for one in every five gay couples, though it has only 2 percent of the population.
Best known for its old- and new-money families stretching from the Long Island Sound to its fabled back country, Greenwich has been vexed in the past by its proximity to the border. In 2001, the crowds of people buying tickets for the Powerball lottery game, not available in New York, grew so big that town officials suspended sales for a day.
These days, by contrast, local businesses would like Greenwich’s new wave of toe-dippers to stick around a little longer than they have been. Most couples have a brief ceremony in a Town Hall meeting room or outside on the grounds, then leave immediately for receptions back in New York or honeymoons elsewhere.
Thomas C. Delaney, the general manager of the Hyatt Regency Greenwich, said the hotel had advertised on some gay and lesbian Web sites in hopes of attracting more business. The Hyatt averages 70 weddings a year, he said, but this summer only two same-sex weddings are scheduled so far. “We’d like to have a lot more,” he said.
June, the traditional month for wedding bliss, is coinciden
See Gay New Yorkers Head to Greenwich for Weddings
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New Yorkers divided on gay marriage
(New York City) A new poll has found New York State voters evenly divided over whether same-sex couples should be allowed to marry.
The Siena College poll found 46 percent of those surveyed support gay marriage, while 46 percent were opposed.
The survey was taken between May 18 and 21 and involved …
Tags: College Poll, gay marriage, marriage, New Poll, New York City, New York State, New Yorkers, Same Sex Couples, Siena College, State VotersDuane Reade Announces Premier-Level Sponsorship of AIDS Walk New York
~Announces Partnership to Provide New Yorkers with Free HIV/AIDS Testing~
NEW YORK, NY — Duane Reade Holdings, Inc. today announced that The Duane Reade Charitable Foundation has doubled its support from last year and will donate $100,000 as a Premier-level sponsor of AIDS Walk New York (AWNY). AWNY raises funds for Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC) and fifty other AIDS service organizations in the New York tri-state area. AWNY is the world’s largest HIV/AIDS fundraising event and has raised more than $100 million since 1996. This year’s 10-kilometer AWNY is expected to attract more than 45,000 participants and will be held in New York City’s Central Park on Sunday, May 17th, 2009. In partnership with GMHC, Duane Reade will also provide free, confidential, on-the-spot, HIV testing starting in June 2009 in several neighborhoods/locations throughout the New York metropolitan area.
Jim Scarfone, Senior Vice President Human Resources & Administration for Duane Reade and a Trustee of The Duane Reade Charitable Foundation, commented, “As the only uniquely New York drug store chain, Duane Reade understands the needs of our city’s residents and strives to give back to the community in meaningful ways. As such, we are very pleased to support GMHC and the 2009 AIDS Walk New York for the third straight year and join in their efforts to promote awareness and prevention of the spread of HIV in New York City. Moreover, we are pleased to be able to double our support for the 2009 walk, and to partner with GMHC to provide free, confidential and on-the-spot HIV testing through their mobile testing unit for the second year.”
According to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York City has more residents living with HIV or AIDS than any other city in the United States. More than 100,000 New Yorkers currently live with HIV, a virus that has become the third leading cause of death for New Yorkers under the age of 65. More than 1,000 New Yorkers each year find out they are HIV-positive when they already have AIDS due to a lack of testing, prevention, and education about the disease.
“We are immensely grateful for Duane Reade’s outstanding support of AIDS Walk New York and our partnership in expanding HIV testing throughout the boroughs,” said Marjorie J. Hill, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of Gay Men’s Health Crisis. “Having a trusted family friend like Duane Reade as a partner helps us to continue breaking through the barriers associated with HIV testing such as stigma, fear and lack of access to care. With their ongoing help, we will continue to find the one of four HIV-positive New Yorkers who are unaware of their HIV status, and provide them with the information and care they need.”
To learn more about AIDS Walk New York and its benefactors, please visit www.aidswalk.net/newyork.
To learn more about GMHC, please visit http://www.gmhc.org/.
The Duane Reade Charitable Foundation was formed in March 2007 and is committed to supporting charitable organizations that promote health and wellness in New York’s communities. A portion of the charity’s budget is also reserved to support programs that address local community needs.
About Duane Reade
Uniquely New York since 1960, Duane Reade is the largest drug store chain in the metropolitan New York City area. Focused on making the lives of New Yorkers easier, Duane Reade offers a wide variety of prescription and over-the-counter drugs, health and beauty care items, cosmetics and other daily essentials — How I Feel, How I Look, and What I Need Now — in over 250 convenient locations.
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Quinnipiac poll shows racial divide on marriage support among New Yorkers
New polling data was released on same-sex marriage by Quinnipiac University today, showing that New Yorkers are split on the legalization of same-sex marriage. According to the pollster, “Voters opposed same-sex marriage 55 - 37 percent in an April 15, 2004″ similar poll:
In this latest survey of more than 2,800 voters, New York State voters support same-sex civil unions 65 - 27 percent with 67 - 24 percent support from white voters and 52 - 39 percent support from black voters.
Jews support same-sex marriage 61 - 34 percent as Catholics oppose it 53 - 39 percent and Protestants say no 55 - 38 percent. Voters who attend religious services at least once a week oppose same-sex marriage 66 - 26 percent, while those who attend services less frequently support same-sex marriage 56 - 36 percent. Women support the measure 49 - 42 percent while men oppose it 51 - 42 percent.
Democrats support same-sex marriage 59 - 34 percent, but Republicans oppose it 68 - 24 percent while independent voters split with 46 percent in favor and 45 percent opposed. Same- sex marriage wins 61 - 33 percent support among voters 18 to 34 years old and gets 48 - 44 percent support among voters 35 to 54 years old, while voters over 55 oppose it 55 - 37 percent.
Gays and lesbians are born that way, 46 percent of New York State voters say, while 29 percent say people choose their sexual orientation and 6 percent say it is decided by upbringing.
Deeper analysis of the poll and more figures can be found here.
See Quinnipiac poll shows racial divide on marriage support among New Yorkers
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