glbtqi news and commentary [10/22/2006-1]
Autumn Sandeen
b. Oklahoma City Schools Nix Gay Bullying Rule
c. Bogus nurse revealed
d. Christian landscaper won't soil hands with work for 'gay'
clients
e. The offended are now offensive
f. Accommodating transgender workers
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a. Trans Youth Arrests at Port Authority
Demonstration on October 25 following police bathroom harassment at
bus terminal
BY ANDY HUMM
Gay City News - NY,USA
Volume 5, Number 42 | October 19 - 25 , 2006
http://www.gaycitynews.com/gcn_542/transyoutharrests.html
The arrest of three transgendered clients of Sylvia's Place, a
shelter for homeless LGBT youth, for using a Port Authority women's
room will be protested at a demonstration outside the bus terminal
on Eighth Avenue at 41st Street on Wednesday, October 25 at noon.
Kate Barnhart, director of the shelter, run by the Metropolitan
Community Church/NY in its Midtown building, said that Yasmina
(whose birth name was Edwin) Rodriguez, 19, Britney (Nicholas) Haag,
21, and Kailah (Anthony) Hayes, 22, were charged with trespass on
October 3.
"One of the cops, an Officer Robles, said to them, 'I wouldn't want
my wife in here with you things,'" Barnhart said.
The case is similar to the harassment that Helena Stone, a
transgendered phone company employee who works in Grand Central
Terminal, endured when she tried to use the women's room there this
past winter. The Metro North police agreed to stop harassing and
arresting her for using that restroom.
In the Port Authority case, Officer Robles called the youths out of
the women's room and they told him, "We identify as women. We're
transgendered." He allegedly replied, "I don't give two shits what
you identify as, you're still a man," and cuffed them. The youths
cited New York City law which forbids discrimination based on gender
identity or expression.
According to the account provided by the young people, they were
paraded through a crowd of onlookers while several officers laughed
at them. One cop said to Britney, "Hey, do you know how much the
operation costs because he [indicating another cop] is thinking of
getting it."
Robles is said to have told the arrestees, "There is no law that
allows men to be in the women's bathroom. If there is, teach me." He
then turned to someone in the precinct and said, "You're supposed to
be the trans issues guy, do you know anything about a bathroom law
protecting these freaks?" The reply he got was, "It's pretty dicey."
After threats they would be taken downtown and placed in lock-up
with men, the youths were finally let go with summonses because the
computers were down. During their wait, they were allegedly
subjected to ridicule by several officers who passed through the
room where they were being processed.
In a separate incident, Ulysses Cortez, 18, also a client at
Sylvia's Place, was given a summons for trespass for using the men's
room in the terminal without being in possession of a bus ticket.
Tony Ciavolella, a spokesman for the Port Authority, said it was not
their policy to arrest people using their restrooms without a bus
ticket since there are retail shops in the terminal.
An Officer Carini who cited Cortez allegedly searched him, found a
gay-related publication among his effects, and called him a
"faggot."
Barnhart said her group is looking to file a civil suit against the
Port Authority in the transgender case.
"The young people were traumatized," she said. "For some, it was
their first arrest. The Port Authority police need sensitivity
training and training on what the law is in New York. Some of our
kids carry around a copy of the law, but it shouldn't be their
responsibility to educate the cops."
The Port Authority's Ciavolella said of the report on abuse of the
transgendered youths, "The police inspector is very concerned and is
looking into it."
C 2006 Community Media, LLC
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b. Oklahoma City Schools Nix Gay Bullying Rule
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
October 21, 2006
http://www.365gay.com/Newscon06/10/102106okschools.htm
(Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) LGBT faculty and the parents of gay
students were excited this week when they discovered on the Oklahoma
Public Schools Web site that a new student handbook would include
language forbidding bullying on the grounds of sexuality.
But as word spread the section on LGBT bullying mysteriously
disappeared.
School district officials say the policy had not been approved by
the school board and should not have been posted.
"The language in the handbook has to be consistent with
board-approved policy language," district spokesperson Sherry Fair
told the Oklahoman newspaper.
"The book was not reviewed well enough before we posted it and sent
it to the printers."
Fair said that the material was recalled and that when the
student/parent handbook is printed later this month it will not
include protections for LGBT students.
Teachers who worked on the handbook and advocated for the statement
called the board decision outrageous.
"They're nuts," teacher Joe Quigley said of district administrators.
"They are telling students, 'We were thinking of protecting you, but
we changed our mind.' Student safety should be paramount."
Quigley said that the board's decision appears to fly in the face of
a 2003 letter he received from Superintendent Bob Moore that stated
students are protected from harassment based on sexual orientation.
"Our bullying regulation protects gay, bisexual and transgender
students who may be the victims of name calling and violence because
of their sexual orientation."
"Either the superintendent lied in 2003 and the district never
corrected that lie, or they're lying now," Quigley told the
Oklahoman.
A study, released in April to coincide with the National Day of
Silence, showed that three-quarters of students surveyed across
America said that over the past year they heard derogatory remarks
such as "faggot" or "dyke" frequently or often at school, and nearly
nine out of ten reported hearing "that's so gay" or "you're so gay"
- meaning stupid or worthless - frequently or often. (story)
Over a third of students said they experienced physical harassment
at school on the basis of sexual orientation and more than a quarter
on the basis of their gender expression.
Nearly one-in-five students reported they had been physically
assaulted because of their sexual orientation and over a tenth
because of their gender expression.
Last month a student Wisconsin was arrested for shooting to death a
high school principal he claimed had ignored his pleas for help in
stopping other students from bullying him and using homophobic slurs
against him. (story)
C365Gay.com 2006
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c. Bogus nurse revealed
23 October 2006
By KAMALA HAYMAM
Manawatu Standard, New Zealand
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/manawatustandard/0,2106,3836832a6407,00
.html
"She said they were jealous of anyone she started dating."
Poumaka said the nurse was not wearing a uniform but did have an
official badge pinned to a "scruffy" polar fleece. She did not offer
any nursing care.
Chapman told the family she had married a "palangi" (caucasian) and
their first baby was due next month.
Being "a very large woman" her pregnancy was not obvious, said
Poumaka.
There was nothing to suggest she was male.
Detective Constable Bruce Lomax would not confirm the link between
the two cases, but said the suggestion the "nurse" was a man was "a
pretty positive line of inquiry".
"We have got a person we are looking for ... we are just making
inquiries to locate that person," Lomax said.
More than 70 people had phoned police with information about the
"nurse" after publicity in The Press at the weekend, and sightings
had been reported in Timaru, Motueka and Levin.
Lomax did not know how long the person had been pretending to be a
nurse, or what contact the person had had with patients.
He hoped to speak further with the health board tomorrow.
The bogus nurse's ID photo was emailed to hospital staff more than a
week ago by concerned health board security officials.
Rugby legend Bryan Williams yesterday laughed at the suggestion the
bogus nurse could be one of his two daughters.
He had heard of the 2002 case, and had no idea why someone would
want to pose as his daughter.
Claudia McKay, the president of Transgender support group Agender,
said impersonating a nurse or a police officer was "way, way out of
the ballpark" for the cross-dressing community.
"Criminal activity is not related to the cross-dressing or
transgender issues," McKay said.
"That's something else entirely, and you'd need a psychologist to
explain that."
McKay said that for most people, cross-dressing was private.
--
If you have had dealings with Turori/Tess Chapman, call our newsroom
on (03) 364 8494 ext 764, or email repo...@press.co.nz
C Fairfax New Zealand Limited 2006. All the material on this page
has the protection of international copyright. All rights reserved
-----------
Please note that distribution of articles doesn't constitute
endorsement of the articles' content; "opposition" articles are
distributed to educate interested readership about contrary and
unfavorable standpoints.
--Autumn--
d. Christian landscaper won't soil hands with work for 'gay'
clients
Business owners refuse to tiptoe through tulips - decision sparks
call for anti-discrimination law
WorldNetDaily.com
October 21, 2006
http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=52554
A Houston landscaping company is under fire for turning down a job
because its Christian owners have a policy of not working for
homosexual customers - a decision that has spurred calls for a
boycott and an anti-discrimination ordinance that would prevent them
from selecting clients based on sexual orientation.
Todd and Sabrina Farber have owned and operated The Garden Guy
<http://www.wnd.com/redir/r.asp?http://www.garden-guy.com> since
1991 and, like other landscape contractors, use the Internet to show
the quality of their past work and to solicit future business.
The Garden Guy was just one of the landscaping businesses Michael
Lord and Gary Lackey, a homosexual couple who has been together for
nine years, requested bids from earlier this week for the new home
they're building in Houston Heights
<http://www.wnd.com/redir/r.asp?http://www.houstonheights.org/index.
htm> . Lord said he found The Garden Guy through an Internet search
and liked the "before and after" pictures
<http://www.wnd.com/redir/r.asp?http://www.garden-guy.com/before-aft
er.html> on the website.
"We sent e-mails to several local landscaping companies asking for
quotes. Garden Guy called Michael back saying they would like to
bid," Lackey told the Houston Voice. Lord called the company
Wednesday morning to set up an appointment.
"Michael was asked if 'his wife would be home' when the consultation
would take place. He brushed it off, but when he was asked again if
his wife would be joining, Michael said, "No, but my partner Gary
will be.'
"Michael set up the appointment, but a few minutes later we got the
e-mail."
That e-mail has now become the subject of a nationwide online
debate.
Subject: Cancel Appt - Garden Guy
Dear Mr. Lord,
I am appreciative of your time on the phone today and glad
you contacted us. I need to tell you that we cannot meet with you
because we choose not to work for homosexuals.
Best of luck in finding someone else to fill your
landscaping needs.
All my best,
Sabrina
Todd and Sabrina Farber
Owners, Garden Guy, Inc.
After receiving the e-mail, Lord called Lackey.
"He was in shock," Lackey said. "We just couldn't believe that had
happened."
Lackey forwarded the e-mail to about 200 of his friends, asking that
they not patronize Garden Guy in the future.
Had Lord looked more closely he would have seen that the Farbers
were very upfront with their faith. Beneath a photo of the couple
and their four children, the Farbers wrote
<http://www.wnd.com/redir/r.asp?http://www.garden-guy.com/about.html
> :
The God-ordained institution of marriage is under attack in
courts across the nation, and your help is needed.
Go to: www.nogaymarriage.com
<http://www.wnd.com/redir/r.asp?http://www.nogaymarriage.com/> to
take action.
Ephesians 5:8 (Amplified Bible)
... For once you were darkness, but now you are light in the
Lord; walk as children of Light and lead the lives of those
native-born to the Light.
That stance shortly became the topic of discussion online and in the
homosexual press. The Farbers quickly set up a forum on their
website but it was taken down Thursday, possible because of the
crude language of some posters.
"I am embarrassed for you and your husband," wrote "Chris."
"Just as you choose not to do business with us, I, my friends, my
family, my co-workers and everyone I meet, will not do business with
you! I have sent your e-mail to over 50 people I know and work with.
These people know 50 others each ... was your bigotry worth it?"
Some critics noted that the Garden Guy website stated that the
business was a member of the Association of Professional Landscape
Designers <http://www.wnd.com/redir/r.asp?http://www.apld.com/> , a
claim disputed by the trade organization's president in a statement
<http://www.wnd.com/redir/r.asp?http://www.arch-ive.org/docs/APLD_Of
ficial_Response.pdf> criticizing the Farbers.
Amid the threats of boycotts and criticism of the Farber's faith,
one poster found the angry messages to be the problem:
"There is more hate in these posts than in the original
e-mail," wrote "Dave." "Why do you feel that we Christians MUST
accept you? Don't you find it ironic that while you demand in one
breath that we give up our position that homosexuality is a sin
worthy of hell, that you condemn us to that very place in your
next?"
A copy of the temporary forum site can be viewed here
<http://www.wnd.com/redir/r.asp?http://216.30.130.70/cgi-bin/yabb/ga
rdenguy/YaBB.cgi?board=rose;action=display;num=1161213225> .
And while they've refused to talk with the media, the Farbers issued
a public explanation for their decision:
To the Houston media
We did not refuse service with malicious intent. We do not
hate homosexuals and we are sorry that we hurt Michael Lord and Gary
Lackey. We meant to uphold our right as a small business owner to
choose who our clients are. We are humbly sorry for the hurt that it
has caused.
Respectfully,
Todd and Sabrina Farber
That may not be enough, though. Some in the homosexual community are
angry that what the Farbers did was not illegal.
"That's the biggest issue. This is not against the law and that is a
travesty," Jerry Simoneaux
<http://www.wnd.com/redir/r.asp?http://www.nsflaw.us/jws.html> , an
attorney who specializes in homosexual issues told Houston's
KHOU-TV.
He noted other cities like Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth and El Paso
have adopted ordinances that would prohibit similar discrimination.
"We need something like that in Houston, but we don't have it," said
Simoneaux.
The response to the Farber's decision has not been universally
negative.
The American Family Association
<http://www.wnd.com/redir/r.asp?http://www.afa.net/> issued a
statement defending their business decision, saying, "Todd, like
millions of Americans, obviously has a moral conviction based on his
religious beliefs against homosexual behavior and that lifestyle.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with that."
Lord and Lackey say they have received "lots of offers and
recommendations" for a new landscaper.
Both men are listed as "hosts" for the homosexual group Bunnies on
the Bayou,
<http://www.wnd.com/redir/r.asp?http://www.bunnies.org/profile.php>
a Texas 501(c)3 charity that raises money for AIDS-related
organizations and art groups. Bunnies was selected to serve as
organization grand marshal for the 2006 Houston Gay, Lesbian,
Bisexual & Transgender Pride Parade.
--
If you would like to sound off on this issue, participate in today's
WND Poll <http://www.worldnetdaily.com/polls/> .
C 2006 WorldNetDaily.com
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Commentary.
e. The offended are now offensive
JOE SOUCHERAY
St. Paul Pioneer Press, MN, USA
Sun, Oct. 22, 2006
We recently learned of Muslim cabdrivers who refuse to take
passengers who have alcohol, that is, alcohol that the cabdriver can
see. It hasn't reached the point yet where the Muslim cabdriver will
be championed in his efforts to inspect your bags at the curb, which
would certainly capture an irony.
It makes me wonder how the Muslim cabdriver got here in the first
place, assuming that the cabdrivers in question are immigrants. They
probably flew. Airplanes carry alcohol. I'm probably just missing a
finer-tuned theological point.
The other day, to show you how fast things can get out of hand, it
was reported in Minneapolis that a bus driver for Metro Transit was
accommodated in her request to not drive a bus that carries ads for
gay-themed Lavender Magazine. The employee was an unidentified
female. Maybe she is a Muslim. Maybe she is a Baptist. I have no
idea. For sure she is a Crackpotist.
Metro Transit seemed to treat the request with a kind of casual good
cheer - before later rethinking its decision - pointing out that the
ad was on only 25 buses in a fleet of 100 or more, so it would be
easy for her superiors to put the complainer behind the wheel of an
ad-free bus. This all took place in a bus garage in the Uptown area.
Personally, I would have told the woman, "We didn't hire you to
approve or disapprove of the advertising. We hired you to drive.''
"But that ad offends my religion.''
"That's too bad.''
"I won't drive a bus with an ad for Lavender Magazine.''
"You're fired.''
Same thing if I owned a cab company. Either drive the cab or look
for a different line of work.
It is beginning to occur to me, especially as it pertains to public
institutions, that religious sensibilities are not accommodated
equally. There is no playbook, or rather a playbook that is being
developed on the fly. It seems to depend on where you land. A bus
driver is essentially a public employee because Metro Transit is a
subset of the Metropolitan Council. I guess you could say that the
bus driver was lucky. She landed in a job where - initially anyway -
her superiors were sensitive and alert to her needs and beliefs.
But just last March, we had a public employee who could not have an
Easter bunny on her desk. She was, or probably remains, a
receptionist in St. Paul City Hall. Last year, she had some sort of
Easter basket on her desk that apparently was so offensive to
non-Christians that Tyrone Terrill dispatched his human rights
commission police force to clamp down on the woman, who went meekly
into submission.
The first heads to explode will be those of elected officials,
probably at the city council level. For example, what will these
lightweights do when they are faced with a dilemma featuring, say, a
Muslim cabdriver and a transvestite? We tend to elect people who get
so heavily invested in the promotion of victim constituencies that
it will come back to haunt them one day when the chambers are filled
with competing factions of Muslims, gays, single mothers and
non-English- speaking natives of outer Tonga.
It is inevitable, for example, that Muslim cabdrivers, gaining an
inch here and an inch there, will one day demand of the Minneapolis
City Council an ordinance or special provision that relieves them of
carrying anyone they believe to be gay or women wearing shorts. That
will happen. When it does, how can the Minneapolis City Council
possibly resolve it?
Well, it can't.
It was a pretty serviceable America - laws, customs, culture - that
got us this far. It seems suicidal to abandon it now.
--
Joe Soucheray can be reached at jsouc...@pioneerpress.com or
651-228-5474.
C 2006 St. Paul Pioneer Press and wire service sources. All Rights
Reserved.
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Advice.
f. Accommodating transgender workers
October 22, 2006
Carrie Mason-Draffen
Newsday, NY
http://www.newsday.com/business/ny-bzdrafn4942165oct22,0,7535386.col
umn?coll=ny-business-columnists
DEAR CARRIE: I recently took a job at a research company. The
environment is low-stress, with one big exception: a co-worker I'll
call "Karen." She is a man who is changing her gender to female. It
would appear Karen has had breast implants. And she may be getting
hormone therapy. She disrupts staff meetings, and bosses seem amused
by her. I just pretend to snooze, because I don't want to buy into
the antics. That's not the worst of it. I recently saw Karen coming
out of the men's room. This made me very uncomfortable. I have no
qualms about sharing a rest room with a gay man. But Karen is
another matter. I'd like to know what the law says, if anything,
about my having to share a men's room with someone like Karen.
Potty Rights
DEAR POTTY RIGHTS: You're dealing with two separate issues: One is a
leadership matter, and the other is a legal concern.
On the leadership issue: No employee should be permitted to disrupt
a staff meeting. Any manager who permits childish behavior to go on
in any setting is shirking responsibility.
On your second point: Your company is probably grappling with what
to do because it has some obligations toward transgender employees.
New York State's Sexual Orientation Nondiscrimination Act, signed
into law four years ago, doesn't specifically mention transgender
individuals, but some judges have interpreted the law as extending
protections to them. In addition, New York's laws banning disability
discrimination have been interpreted as applying to transgender
people, says Sharon McGowan, staff attorney at the American Civil
Liberties Union's Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Project in
Manhattan.
The state's sexual orientation law specifically prohibits
discrimination against gays and lesbians in employment and other
areas.
It's worth mentioning the confusing local legal landscape: New York
City's human rights laws specifically mention transgender people as
a protected class. Suffolk County's sexual orientation laws don't
mention transgender people, but the law is seen as applying to them,
according to the county's Human Rights Commission. And Nassau County
said that its sexual orientation statutes don't mention transgender
people, and the laws are not considered to apply to those
individuals.
What does all this mean in the workplace? That your employer has to
strike a legal balance between your discomfort and Karen's rights.
"The fact that he's [the letter writer] uncomfortable about it
doesn't trump the employer's obligation to provide a fair workplace
consistent with the discrimination laws of New York," McGowan said.
She said Karen may have asked your employer's permission to use the
ladies' room and been rebuffed, leaving her with no option but the
men's room. McGowan said your employer may have more options: The
company could give Karen access to a single-occupancy rest room or a
bathroom connected to someone's office.
She also suggested that the company use the situation to educate the
staff: to explain what Karen is undergoing and give people the
information they need, she said.
"The educational aspect solves 90 percent of the problem," she says.
Carrie Mason-Draffen welcomes workplace questions, though she cannot
respond to every query. Some may be edited for length and clarity.
Contact her with your questions at 631-843-2450, or e-mail her at
carrie .dra...@newsday.com. Send a letter to Dear Help Wanted,
Business Desk, Newsday, 235 Pinelawn Rd., Melville, NY 11747-4250.
Your name and number won't be published.
-----------
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-----
~~Autumn Sandeen~~
Transgender American Veterans Association Secretary
Transgender Equality Alliance team member
Transgender Advocacy And Services Center (TASC) of San Diego
Planning Group Member
transgendernews YahooGroup News Archivist/Moderator
GLBT_News YahooGroup News Archivist/Moderator
"We need, in every community, a group of angelic troublemakers."
--Bayard Rustin
-----