RI gov. "aggravated" by marriage activists
150 same-sex marriage supporters gathered at the RI State House and “aggravated” the gov.
Tags: Activists, House Gov, marriage, Marriage Sex, Ri State, same sex marriage, State Gov, State HouseLocal 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
| Published by |
 |
Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2009/07/local-media-s…
Another front for fairness
AT A HEARING at the State House last week, supporters of a bill to ban discrimination on the basis of gender identity and expression outlined the myriad barriers that confront transgender people - those who are born male but live as females, or vice versa. Unlike those whose religions or sexual orientations expose them to discrimination, transgendered people might not be able to avoid the issue when applying for jobs, apartments, or loans. The truth may become evident from a check on a Social Security number or a search of credit reports.
Transgender advocates aren’t looking for sympathy. The goal of the legislation, introduced by Representative Carl Sciortino, is to give transgender residents of Massachusetts space to live without discrimination or violence. The bill responds sensibly to a real problem, and deserves to pass.
Transgender people don’t make the transition lightly; many, though not all, undergo gender-reassignment surgery. The case of Dana Zircher, profiled recently by the Globe’s Bella English, underscores the difficulty of the process, even when individuals have supportive families and employers. Zircher, a software designer and a parent, has undergone a divorce, surgery, and 350 hours of electrolysis.
Instead of addressing the complexities of actual people’s lives, though, opponents are trying to undermine Sciortino’s legislation by calling it a “Bathroom Bill.’’ The difference between a transgender woman and a man who wants to infiltrate a ladies’ room is perfectly obvious, at least to anyone who is not deliberately obfuscating the issue. The difference would surely be obvious to police officers and judges. Thirteen other states, including Vermont, Maine, and Rhode Island, and dozens of cities, including Boston and Cambridge, already forbid discrimination against transgendered people - and public washrooms are as safe as ever.
See Another front for fairness
* Tags = gay men gay news lesbian news transgender bisexual
| Published by |
|
Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2009/07/another-front…
Gay marriage stalls as RI lawmakers wrap up
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Rhode Island seems almost certain to remain the only New England state that does not recognize gay marriage after measures legalizing same-sex unions stalled just before the part-time General Assembly ended the bulk of its annual work.
None of the bills legalizing same-sex marriage in Rhode Island advanced to a floor vote this session, continuing a trend begun in 1997.
The lack of State House action on gay unions means that Rhode Island is unlikely to allow same-sex marriage anytime soon, despite decisions this year by lawmakers in New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont to join Connecticut and Massachusetts in legalizing marriage equality.
“I was hoping the momentum that was going around New England and the support we had in the House would get enough representatives to ask for it,” said Rep. Frank Ferri (D-Warwick), who is gay and sponsored same-sex marriage legislation. He and his partner wed in Canada.
Equally disappointed were marriage equality opponents, who wanted voters to be able to decide whether the state constitution should be changed to ban gay marriage.
“I think that if you put it to the voters on a statewide basis, gay marriage would fail,” said Rep. Jon Brien, D-Woonsocket.
See Gay marriage stalls as RI lawmakers wrap up
* Tags = gay men gay news lesbian news transgender bisexual
| Published by |
|
Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2009/07/gay-marriage-…
In RI, some wary as tide of gay marriage rises
PROVIDENCE - From a cramped office in the middle of the smallest state in the nation, Christopher Plante is determined to prove that Rhode Island has not been cornered by the advance of same-sex marriage across the rest of New England.
“When I look at a real map of the United States, we’re actually not alone here,” said Plante, executive director of the Rhode Island chapter of the National Organization for Marriage, which opposes same-sex unions. “This is not the United States of New England.”
But supporters and even some opponents expect that Rhode Island will legalize same-sex marriage, although they say that legalization is two or three years away.
Massachusetts and Connecticut legalized same-sex marriage as a result of judicial decisions in 2003 and 2008, while Vermont, Maine, and New Hampshire followed this spring by legislative action.
The slower pace in Rhode Island, where the state Senate voted last week to allow same-sex partners to make funeral arrangements, has frustrated some local activists, many of whom rallied outside the State House in Providence last weekend to call for immediate equality.
But others say that legalization by 2012, a goal advocates set last year for securing same-sex marriage in all New England states, would put Rhode Island at the front of the pack nationally. In the rest of the country, only Iowa allows same-sex couples to marry.
“They still have a chance to be part of the vanguard,” said attorney Karen L. Loewy, the Rhode Island point person for GLAD, which won the lawsuits in Massachusetts and Connecticut that legalized same-sex marriage in those states. “Rhode Island is well on its way.”
See In RI, some wary as tide of gay marriage rises
* Tags = gay men gay news lesbian news transgender bisexual
| Published by |
|
Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2009/06/in-ri-some-wa…
Oregon urges passage of federal hate bill
(Salem, Oregon) The Oregon State House of Representatives has unanimously passed a resolution calling on the United States Congress to pass the Matthew Shepard Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act.
The 59-0 vote also condemned the recent brutal beating of two gay men at a Seaside, Ore. beach. The two …
Tags: Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention, gay men, Hate Crimes, House Of Representatives, Law Enforcement, Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, Matthew Shepard, Oregon State, Salem Oregon, Salem State, State House, State Representatives, United States Congress, VoteProtests take on teen violence bill that ignores LGBTs
(Columbia, South Carolina) Dozens of gay rights advocates demonstrated at the South Carolina Capitol on Tuesday, protesting against a provision in a teen dating violence bill that specifically excludes same-sex coupled young people.
The provision was added by the state House last week and LGBT groups say it sends a dire …
Tags: Columbia South Carolina, Dozens, gay rights, Lgbt Groups, Protests, Provision, South Carolina Capitol, State House, Teen Dating Violence, Teen ViolenceMaine’s Gay Marriage FAces Likely Ballot Initative
Portland, ME – Maine Governor John Baldacci signed into a law today a bill ending the ban on marriage for same-sex couples. The Maine Civil Liberties Union, which lobbied hard for the bill, applauds the governor for recognizing that lesbian and gay couples in the state should no longer be denied the legal protections, recognition and respect that comes with marriage.
“Our great state became the first to end the ban on marriage for same-sex couples solely through the legislative process,” said Shenna Bellows, Executive Director of the Maine Civil Liberties Union. “While we know that the bill signed into law may ultimately have to be approved by the voters, today marks a turning point in the fight for the freedom to marry.”
Although Governor Baldacci had not previously stated publicly whether he would support the bill, he signed it into law just a day after the bill passed the state house by a vote of 89 to 57. Because of the state’s referendum process, it is likely that an initiative will be placed on the ballot where the voters could reject the legislation. Opponents of the freedom to marry have 90 days from the date of adjournment of the legislature to gather just over 55,000 signatures to put the issue on the ballot, which will stay the law from going into effect and bar couples from being able to marry. The initiative will be on the ballot in November 2009 or June 2010.
“We understand that many Maine people on both sides feel as passionately as we do,” added Bellows. “We are confident that if our opponents succeed in making this a referendum issue, the majority of Mainers will vote for fairness.”
To learn more about the fight for marriage in Maine, visit www.mainefreedomtomarry.com.
| Published by |
|
Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2009/05/maines-gay-ma…
Conn. gov. signs bill updating marriage laws
(Hartford, Conn.) A decade-long battle for same-sex marriage in Connecticut has ended with the governor’s signature on a bill updating the state’s laws.
Gov. M. Jodi Rell signed the legislation Thursday, one day after the state House and Senate both approved it.
The bill removes gender references from state marriage laws. It …
Tags: Connecticut, Decade, Gender References, Hartford Conn, Legislation, M Jodi Rell, marriage, Marriage Laws, same sex marriage, Senate, Signature, Signs, State Gov, State House, State LawsMassive crowd as Maine lawmakers take up gay marriage
(Augusta, Maine) Thousands of people thronged into the Augusta Civic Center as Maine lawmakers began the first public hearings on a bill that would allow equal marriage in the state.
The hearings were to have been held at the State House, but moved to the civic center to accomodate the large …
Tags: Augusta Civic Center, Augusta Maine, Equal Marriage, Gay Maine, gay marriage, Gay People, Lawmakers, Maine Marriage, marriage, Massive Crowd, Public Hearings, State House
