Tuesday Watercooler: Gays win in California, lose in Arizona
[1]
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer is on the war path. In a not-so-subtle way, she is marginalizing and discriminating against nearly every minority group in her state.
To start the week off, Brewer cut domestic partner benefits for state employees [2] and their dependents – on the pretense of saving a few bucks. She saves $3 million by cutting the benefits of roughly 800 affected employees. How much does she spend on benefits for everyone else? About $625 million. Looking at it that way, $3 million is merely a drop in the budgetary bucket.
The Arizona Daily Star reported: “Gov. Jan Brewer said Wednesday that she believes ‘God has placed me in this powerful position as Arizona’s governor’ to help the state weather its troubles.”
Somebody please remind Brewer and her ilk of the phrase “separation of church and state.” It’s in the Constitution.
The move, of course, follows on the footsteps of the legislation she signed on Friday that makes racial profiling legal. If someone is suspected of being illegally in the United States – and a description of that is quite fuzzy – a police officer is legally required to ask for paperwork proving citizenship. The law is not only detestable, it is likely illegal [3].
San Francisco officials have called for a boycott [4] of Arizona. And flights from Mexico to Phoenix are being canceled by Aeromexico airlines. But that’s just the beginning. If Brewer wants to create her own Aryan-zona, her state will suffer the economic consequences. It’s just a matter of time.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news [5], world news [6], and news about the economy [7]
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[8]
Speaking of unnecessary laws, California finally addressed a decades-old piece of legislation [9] that compared homosexuality to child molestation – both were in need of a “cure.”
Unlike Arizona, California is moving in the right direction as the House of Representatives adopted a measure that directs the Department of Mental Health to remove statements that dictate the agency research “causes and cures of homosexuality.” The measure is now headed to the Senate.
I can almost hear the California Legislature saying, “Cures, we don’t need no stinkin’ cures.”
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[10]
In more good news from California, a leader in the state’s nurses’ union, Mary Kay Henry [11], was picked to head the Service Employees International Union. Henry, an out lesbian, will represent more than 2 million workers in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.
She becomes both the first woman and the first person in the LGBT community to head the union.
***
[12]
And, finally, something that has nothing to do with politics or immigration or any anti-gay sentiments, I found this little nugget of, well, sparkle power: Canned unicorn meat [13].
ThinkGeek, for the low, low price of $9.99, is offering Spam-inspired containers of precious unicorn meat, which is noted as “an excellent source of sparkle.”
In a moving tale of selflessness, we learn about the Sisters at Radiant Farms, who “have dedicated their lives to nursing these elegant creatures through their final days.”
Then they chop the unicorns up and process them for a profit. Mmm, mmm good.
[1] http://www.365gay.com/wp-content/uploads/news-jan-brewer-top.jpg
[2] http://www.towleroad.com/2009/09/arizona-governor-takes-away-state-domestic-partner-benefits-says-god-has-placed-me-in-this-powerful-.html
[3] http://azstarnet.com/news/local/border/article_e282eddf-7b50-514f-9716-3829a65d9df5.html
[4] http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_14961851?source=most_emailed&nclick_check=1
[5] http://www.msnbc.msn.com
[6] http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032507
[7] http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032072
[8] http://www.365gay.com/wp-content/uploads/news-cure-medicine-top.jpg
[9] http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/nov05election/detail?entry_id=62158
[10] http://www.365gay.com/wp-content/uploads/news-mary-kay-henry-top.jpg
[11] http://www.edgeonthenet.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=&sc2=&sc3=&id=105018
[12] http://www.365gay.com/wp-content/uploads/news-unicorn-meat-top.jpg
[13] http://www.thinkgeek.com/stuff/41/unicorn-meat.shtml
New 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 …
Lambda Legal files suit to prevent Ariz. from stripping domestic partner benefits
From Lambda Legal:
(Tuscon, Ariz.) Lambda Legal has filed a federal lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Tucson to block a move to strip domestic partner benefits from gay and lesbian state employees. Arizona lawmakers included a provision stripping domestic partner health benefits from state employees as part of a last-minute …
Partner benefits eliminated in AZ
The governor of AZ signed legislation that eliminates partner benefits for LGB state employees.
AZ eliminates gay partner ben’s
AZ lawmakers repealed same-sex partner benefits for state employees citing budget concerns.
Wisconsin Trial Court Dismisses ACLU Lawsuit Seeking Domestic Partner Benefits For Lesbian and Gay State Employees
The Court’s opinion states: “The plaintiffs have offered a strong showing that the employment benefits in issue have been provided on a discriminatory basis. The defendants’ explanations offered for the continuing discrimination against these plaintiffs are unpersuasive and inadequate.”
“Losing doesn’t get any better than this,” said Larry Dupuis, Litigation Director of the ACLU. “We knew we had an uphill battle in the trial court because of the earlier case. But the court agreed with us that discrimination based on sexual orientation should be subject to strict judicial review and that it is unconstitutional for the state to deny equal benefits.”
The Court also found that providing the benefits would not be barred by the anti-gay marriage amendment that passed in 2006. After the amendment passed, the state had argued that the amendment barred the state from providing the benefits.
The ACLU filed the lawsuit in April 2005 on behalf of six lesbian state employees and their partners. The lawsuit charges that it is a violation of the state’s equal protection guarantees to deny lesbian and gay state employees access to the same health insurance and family leave protections that it provides to straight employees who are able to cover their spouses. The lawsuit was stalled for years because a number of Wisconsin municipalities tried to inject themselves into the lawsuit. The issue ultimately went up to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, which ruled that they were not entitled to become a party to the litigation.
“While we are heartened by the court’s decision, we urge the legislature to pass the domestic partner bill so there will be no need to appeal,” added Chris Ahmuty, Executive Director of the ACLU of Wisconsin. “Our clients are forced to pay expensive prices for inferior health coverage and sometimes even to forego necessary care. They suffer every day this issue goes unresolved.”
Wisconsin Department of Corrections employee Jayne Dunnum and her partner, Robin Timm, pay nearly $450 a month for private insurance for Timm who works on the couple’s organic farm and food store in Platteville. “We don’t care if it happens through the courts or the legislature. We just really need the health insurance coverage,” said Dunnum. “It’s a matter of basic fairness. I work just as hard has my straight colleagues and shouldn’t be denied the equal employment benefits.”
The case is Dunnum v. Department of Employee Trust Funds. The couples are represented by John Knight and Rose Saxe of the ACLU’s Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Project, Larry Dupuis of the ACLU of Wisconsin, and cooperating attorneys Linda Roberson and Christopher Krimmer of the Madison law firm Balisle & Roberson.
Biographical information for all of the couples, today’s decision, the complaint, and additional information are available at http://www.aclu.org/getequal/caseprofiles.htm.
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Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2009/06/wisconsin-tri…
PA provides DP bens to state employees
State employees’ same- and opposite-sex partners are now eligible for the health and dental plan.
Pennsylvania extends medical benefits to partners of state employees
Pennsylvania state employees in same-sex relationships will now be able to obtain the same medical benefits for their partners as heterosexual married employees.
The Pennsylvania Employees Benefit Trust Fund, a non-governmental agency that oversees the state benefits programs, will offer medical, prescription drug, dental, vision and hearing-aid benefits to the same- and opposite-sex domestic partners of all PEBTF-eligible employees, which amounts to about 81,000 individuals.
The approximately 60,000 retired state employees eligible for the Retired Employees Health Program will also be able to extend their benefits to domestic partners.
The policy change additionally allows children of domestic partners to be included on benefits plans. See Pennsylvania extends medical benefits to partners of state employees
Philadelphia Gay News (* Tags = gay men gay news lesbian news transgender bisexual
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Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2009/05/pennsylvania-…
Domestic partners to get state benefits – KRQE
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Domestic partners to get state benefits
KRQE, NM According to an ACLU news release, the organization filed the lawsuit in February 2007 on behalf of gay and lesbian state employees and their domestic partners, saying the state constitution requires the state treat gay and lesbian employees the same … |
New Mexico Agrees To Provide Retirement Health Insurance To Domestic Partners Of State Employees
“We are very pleased that the state has agreed to settle this litigation and provide the insurance. It wasn’t fair that the state forced lesbian and gay employees to pay the high cost of health care for often inferior health insurance for their families when they worked just as hard as their straight colleagues,” said Peter Simonson of the ACLU of New Mexico. “I’m sure this will be welcome news to all lesbian and gay state employees, but especially to those who have retired or are planning to do so soon.”
The ACLU brought the lawsuit on February 5, 2007 on behalf lesbian and gay state employees and their domestic partners. The lawsuit charged that it was a violation of the state constitution’s equal protection guarantees for the state to treat lesbian and gay employees differently from its straight employees. The settlement will reached with the state will cover both gay and straight employees and their domestic partners. The ACLU brought the lawsuit on February 5, 2007 on behalf lesbian and gay state employees and their domestic partners. The lawsuit charged that it was a violation of the state constitution’s equal protection guarantees for the state to treat lesbian and gay employees differently from its straight employees. The settlement will reached with the state will cover both gay and straight employees and their domestic partners.
“This is fantastic news. We can finally start planning our retirement,” said Havens Levitt who has been a teacher for the Albuquerque public school for 25 years. “Until now, our only option was for me to keep working because my partner’s employment doesn’t provide insurance for her and private insurance was just too expensive. It means a lot that the state has acknowledged I should be treated the same as my straight colleagues.” Levitt and her partner, Rebecca Dakota, have been partners for 13 years. Dakota is a self-employed consultant to non-profits and an independent filmmaker.
Pursuant to the settlement, the state has agreed to develop a process for enrolling those interested during the next open enrollment period, which comes this fall.
The legal team for the ACLU in Levitt and Dakota v. New Mexico is George Bach, staff attorney with the ACLU of New Mexico, Ken Choe, a senior staff attorney with the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Project of the ACLU, and cooperating attorney Maureen Sanders of Sanders & Westbrook, P.C.
Additional information about the case including a Q&A and the legal papers is available at http://www.aclu.org/lgbt/relationships/28241res20070205.html.
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Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2009/04/new-mexico-ag…
