Local media swallows ‘bathroom bill’ rhetoric
On July 14, the day of a legislative hearing on the transgender rights bill currently on Beacon Hill, WCVB’s NewsCenter 5 ran a story about the bill on its evening newscast. Anchor Liz Brunner introduced the story by saying, “It’s being called the bathroom bill, [and it] is essentially meant to end discrimination based on transgender status.” Behind Brunner was an image of the traditional male and female stick figures found on restroom doors, positioned next to the State House dome and above the tagline, “Bathroom Bill.” Yet the only people calling the trans rights bill, House Bill 1728, a “bathroom bill” are its opponents, and the label is a misnomer by any objective criteria.
H.B. 1728 adds trans-inclusive language to the state’s non-discrimination laws in the areas of employment, public accommodations, credit, housing, and education, as well as to the state’s hate-crimes laws, going far beyond simply allowing transgender people to use bathrooms that match their gender identity or expression. Opponents of the legislation, led by the Massachusetts Family Institute (MFI), claim that the bill will allow male sexual predators to masquerade as women and sneak into women’s restrooms and locker rooms. WCVB’s coverage of the transgender rights bill, as well as the coverage by some other local media outlets, suggests that the work of the bill’s opponents to label the legislation a bathroom bill in public discourse has been at least somewhat successful. See Local media swallows ‘bathroom bill’ rhetoric Bay Windows
* Tags = gay men gay news lesbian news transgender bisexual
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Unanimous California Supreme Court Rejects Attempt to Limit Discrimination Claims by People with Disabilities
‘The Court’s decision furthers the Unruh Act’s purpose to eradicate arbitrary and invidious discrimination from California’s business establishments.’
(San Francisco, June 11, 2009) — Today the California Supreme Court unanimously ruled that California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act does not impose extra legal hurdles for people with disabilities, including people living with HIV who seek damages for discrimination.
Statement from Tara Borelli, Staff Attorney at Lambda Legal and a principal author of the friend-of-the court brief Lambda Legal submitted urging today’s legal result in Munson v. Del Taco:
“The Court rightly rejected efforts to misread the Unruh Civil Rights Act to impose extra legal hurdles which would have harmed all disabled Californians who face discrimination in public accommodations, including those living with HIV.
“Real, reliable change for people with disabilities has been painfully slow in coming but the high court’s decision today promises greater fairness in California. The Court’s decision furthers the Unruh Act’s purpose to eradicate arbitrary and invidious discrimination from California’s business establishments.
“Though this case does not directly involve people living with HIV, the application of this decision will be helpful to all people living with disabilities who encounter discrimination, which includes many Californians living with HIV.”
Background on Munson v. Del Taco:
Kenneth Munson, a wheelchair user, filed suit against Del Taco, Inc. alleging violations of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act and California’s Unruh Act. Munson’s suit is based on claims arising from visits he made to one Del Taco restaurant, where he encountered architectural barriers to his use of the parking lot and restroom.
Background on Unruh Civil Rights Act:
California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act requires that public accommodations — businesses such as restaurants, rental housing, and doctors’ offices — are open to everyone, without arbitrary discrimination based on disability (including HIV), sex (including gender identity), sexual orientation, marital status, race or several other personal characteristics. Similarly, the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) forbids denying disabled people equal access to public places. In 1992, California revised the Unruh Act to better protect disabled Californians from discrimination by saying that a plaintiff who proves an ADA violation has also proven a state law violation.
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Nevada governor follows through on threat to veto DP bill
CARSON CITY — As promised, Gov. Jim Gibbons on Monday vetoed the bill that would allow same- and opposite-sex couples to become legal domestic partners with many of the rights and privileges of married couples.
In his veto message, Gibbons said he rejected state Senate Bill 283 because it is contrary to the wishes of Nevada voters who in 2002 approved the Protection of Marriage constitutional amendment. That amendment stipulates a marriage may be between only a man and a woman.
But the governor said his veto should not be taken to mean he believes that “domestic partners are in any way undeserving of rights and protections.”
He said that on Saturday he signed a bill to prevent discrimination in public accommodations based on one’s sexual orientation.
“I am disappointed, but it wasn’t unexpected,” said state Sen. David Parks, D-Las Vegas, about the veto.
Parks, the bill’s sponsor, who is openly gay, said times have changed since the Protection of Marriage amendment, and some polls show strong public support for domestic partner legislation.
However, a Las Vegas Review-Journal poll conducted May 12-14 found that 50 percent of poll respondents opposed the proposal, with 38 percent favoring it and 12 percent undecided.
See * Nevada governor follows through on threat to veto DP bill
Las Vegas Review-Journal (5/26) Tags = gay men gay news lesbian news transgender bisexual
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NY Senate urged to pass trans rights bill
(Albany, New York) The New York Assembly has voted to amend the state’s human rights law to include anti-discrimination protections based upon gender identity and expression.
The bill, known as the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act or GENDA, bans discrimination against transgender people in housing, employment, credit, public accommodations, and other areas …
Tags: Albany New York, Anti Discrimination, Discrimination Act, Employment Credit, Genda, Gender Expression, Gender Identity, Human Rights Law, Ny Senate, Public Accommodations, Senate Bill, Trans Rights, York AssemblyPennsylvania gay rights bill tied up in committee
(Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) Legislation prohibiting discrimination on the bases of sexual orientation and gender identity or expression in housing, employment, and public accommodations is sitting in a state House committee and shows few signs of movement.
There was hope last month that the bill would make it to the House floor for …
Tags: Discrimination, Expression, gay rights, Gender Identity, Harrisburg Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Legislation, Public Accommodations, Sexual Orientation, Signs, State House CommitteeGay Protection Bill Introduced In Pennsylvania
Representative Dan Frankel introduced a gay protections bill in the Pennsylvania House yesterday, Frankel announced in a press release.
Frankel’s bill would prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity or expression in the areas of housing, employment, and public accommodations by amending the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act.
Frankel, a Democrat from Allegheny County, said he has already gathered 78 co-sponsors from both parties.
“This legislation is critical to thousands of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Pennsylvanians who are trying to work and have a roof over their heads, and it enjoys substantial support from Pennsylvanians from every corner of the Commonwealth,” Jake Kaskey, policy and outreach coordinator for Equality Advocates Pennsylvania, said in a statement.
See Gay Protection Bill Introduced In Pennsylvania
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Human Relations Commission Urges Expanding PA Anti-Discrimination Law, Would Include Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity or Expression in Pennsylvania Human Relations Act
HARRISBURG, Pa — Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission Chairperson Stephen A. Glassman announced today that the commission is strongly urging the legislature to pass House Bill 300, which was introduced Wednesday, and would amend the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and expression.
The Pennsylvania Human Relations Act currently prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religious creed, national origin, ancestry, age, sex, disability and familial status.
“Ensuring that Pennsylvanians are free from discrimination is crucial, especially in difficult economic times,” Glassman said. “Discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations and education is illegal in Pennsylvania, but lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are currently excluded from these protections.
“House Bill 300 will help guarantee full equality for everyone in this great commonwealth.”
HB 300 has bipartisan support from 79 sponsors in the House of Representatives. The commission has supported passage of similar bills introduced in past legislative sessions.
The bill defines sexual orientation as actual or perceived heterosexuality, homosexuality or bisexuality. It defines gender identity or expression to mean actual or perceived gender identity, appearance, behavior, expression or physical characteristics whether or not associated with an individual’s assigned sex at birth.
“Our statistics show that discrimination complaints rise sharply when the economy is in decline,” Glassman said. “As economic stresses increase and people look for someone to blame for their difficulties, frequently the targets are those who are perceived as different because they are minorities. Passing this bill would serve as a timely illustration of our commitment to protecting Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable citizens and ensuring equal opportunity for all.”
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LGBT civil rights bill filed in Pennsylvania
(Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) Legislation prohibiting discrimination on the bases of sexual orientation and gender identity or expression in housing, employment, and public accommodations has been introduced in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
It would amend the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act to include “sexual orientation” and “gender identity or expression” as protected classes. …
Tags: Act, Civil Rights Bill, Discrimination, Expression, Gender Identity, Harrisburg Pennsylvania, House Of Representatives, Human Relations, Pennsylvania House, Pennsylvania Legislation, Public Accommodations, Sexual OrientationKY’s Fairness Campaign Hires First Director
(Louisville, KY) Following a period of strategic planning and organizational renewal, along with the establishment of an endowment, the Fairness Campaign has hired its first Director, Chris Hartman, (left) who will oversee fundraising, communications, leadership development, and legislative strategy for the almost two-decade old civil-rights organization.
A Louisville native and graduate of Bellarmine University and St. Xavier High School, Hartman most recently worked as Congressman John Yarmuth’s 2008 campaign Press Secretary. He served in 2005 as an AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteer In Service To America) in St. Louis, Director of Philadelphia’s Grassroots Fundraising for the Democratic National Committee in 2004’s Presidential Election, and as Producer and Founder of performance companies Project Improv * St. Louis and Louisville. Hartman holds a Master’s degree in Drama from Washington University in St. Louis, where his thesis, Stage Families of Choice: Emergence, Evolution, and Future of the American Gay Male Family on Stage, focused on American gay male family history and analysis.
The role of Director is the second to be filled by Fairness in under a year. Last July, the organization hired Administrative Coordinator Erica Dolinky, who manages the office, constituent communications and works to foster volunteer engagement and membership recruitment. Dolinky recently mentored at-risk college students in southern Colorado and worked for over a decade with Boys and Girls Clubs of Scottsdale, Arizona. She holds a degree in Fine Arts and a minor in Women and Gender Studies from Arizona State University.
The Fairness Campaign celebrates this year the 10th anniversary of the landmark passage of Louisville’s first Fairness Amendment by the Board of Aldermen on January 26, 1999. Currently, Fairness is teaming with Kentucky Fairness Alliance and other ally organizations to promote the passage of a statewide Fairness law, prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing and public accommodations. A statewide Fairness lobby day in Frankfort is planned for February 25; more information will follow.* Tags = gay men gay news lesbian news transgender bisexual
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Subcommittee on gay-rights ordinance to meet Friday
KALAMAZOO — A subcommittee formed to study a possible compromise in the city of Kalamazoo’s recently rescinded gay-rights ordinance will conduct its first meeting Friday.
Commissioners David Anderson, Don Cooney and Stephanie Moore will review means for getting public input regarding the ordinance that was meant to protect gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgender people from discrimination in city housing, public accommodations and employment.
The city repealed the ordinance last month, but Kalamazoo Mayor Bobby Hopewell said he still hoped to find a compromise.
See Subcommittee on gay-rights ordinance to meet Friday
Kalamazoo Gazette - MLive.com, MI -
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