glbtqi news and commentary (2/13/2006-1)
Autumn Sandeen
b. Waterloo council to discuss sexual orientation ordinance
c. 'The PNP is gender-sensitive'
d. N.Y. adopts same-sex rights law
e. Congress Sneaks Unique Protections for Boy Scouts of America's
Discrimination into Defense Authorization Bill
f. Letter To Alan Chambers
----------
a. Mayor promotes tolerance
"Economic potency" flourishes in cities that embrace everyone, he
says
By Julianne Bentley
Denver Post Staff Writer
02/12/2006
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_3500799
If Denver can be more tolerant of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and
transgender community, the effort will boost the city's economy,
said Mayor John Hickenlooper.
He said Saturday that Denver needs to be socially inclusive because
studies show that cities where GLBT communities flourish are the
most successful.
"Economic potency is where everyone is welcome," Hickenlooper said.
He and other speakers at the Denver GLBT Commission's town hall
meeting at the Denver School of Science & Technology discussed how
the gay and lesbian community can have a positive effect on Denver's
growth through tourism and business.
Hickenlooper referred to Rich ard Florida's book "The Rise of the
Creative Class," which says cities tend to thrive when they have a
strong "creative index," based on technology, innovation and
diversity.
In 2000, Denver's creative index ranked 14 of 49 major cities, he
said. San Francisco and Austin, Texas, are first and second,
respectively, he said.
Others echoed his remarks.
"We need to appeal to niche markets like the GLBT, who spend more,"
said Jayne Buck, vice president of tourism for the Denver Metro
Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Buck cited research by California-based Community Marketing Inc.
that 98 percent of same-sex couples take a vacation every year and
tend to have incomes and educations above the national average.
Denver needs a more tolerant market that welcomes gay and lesbian
travelers to compete for their tourism attention, she said.
The way to create such an environment is by passing more legislation
friendly to the GLBT community, which would be a great marketing
tool to jump-start Denver GLBT tourism, she said.
Among the speakers Saturday were Pat Steadman, board member for
Equal Rights Colorado; Mark Renn of the Colorado Business Council;
and Jacky Morales-Ferrand of the Office of Economic Development.
Steadman pushed legislation such as Senate Bill 81, which would
prohibit employers from discriminating based on sexual orientation
when making hiring or firing decisions. Nondiscrimination in the
workplace is an integral policy if Denver wants to compete in the
business sector, he said.
"If we want to be the next Silicon Valley, we have a lot to do with
public policy to compete for a talented workforce," Steadman said.
Staff writer Julianne Bentley can be reached at
jben...@denverpost.com.
All contents Copyright 2006 The Denver Post or other copyright
holders. All rights reserved.
----------
b. Waterloo council to discuss sexual orientation ordinance
By TIM JAMISON
Staff Writer
Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier, IA
Sunday, February 12, 2006
http://www.wcfcourier.com/articles/2006/02/12/news/metro/8e823875d9a
55e4d86257113001a795b.txt
WATERLOO --- Discussions resume this week on separate controversial
proposals to add sexual orientation protections to the city's human
rights ordinance and to allow Waterloo police to carry Tasers
City Council members are scheduled to hold work sessions on both
issues Monday before tackling a light regular meeting agenda. While
the work sessions are open to the public, comments from the audience
generally are not accepted.
Council members already have reported receiving lots of letters
related to the proposal allow the Waterloo Human Rights Commission
to investigate reports of discrimination against lesbian, gay,
bisexual and transgender residents in the areas of employment,
housing, credit, public accommodations and education.
While similar protections are already in place for protected classes
based on "race, creed, color, sex, national origin, religion,
disability or age," the city has no mechanism to intervene if a
person is fired or denied housing based on their sexual preference.
The cities of Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Ames, Bettendorf,
Decorah and Iowa City have all adopted ordinances making it illegal
to discriminate against residents based on sexual orientation.
Dubuque rejected a similar ordinance last year following heated
community debate.
While council members have not set a date for a vote on the
ordinance, several members have urged the Human Rights Commission,
which unanimously endorsed the ordinance change, to set up several
public information meetings around the community.
The human rights work session is scheduled for 3:45 p.m. Another
work session, which includes a presentation on the use of police
Tasers is set for 4:45 p.m. While Tasers have been touted as a way
to subdue subject without the use of deadly force, there have been
several high-profile lawsuits filed against police departments over
misuse of the Tasers and deaths.
The regular meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Monday in the council
chambers on the second floor of City Hall. Committee meetings
include: Boards and Commissions, 3:25 p.m.; Finance, 3:30 p.m.; and
work sessions beginning at 3:45 p.m.
--
Contact Tim Jamison at (319) 291-1577 or tim.j...@wcfcourier.com.
C 2004, The Courier, Waterloo, IA, A Lee Enterprises subsidiary
----------
c. 'The PNP is gender-sensitive'
By Jovy S. Taghoy
Staff Reporter
Sun.Star, Philippines
Monday, February 13, 2006
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/ceb/2006/02/13/news/.the.pnp.is.gen
der.sensitive..html
HE was once cited in contempt of court for wearing a feminine outfit
and make-up during a hearing.
But instead of being discouraged by the experience, Jude Daniel
Martinez Mendoza, 40, took it as a challenge to start an advocacy on
gender sensitivity, hoping to send the message that all people are
born equal-regardless of sexual preferences.
Mendoza has been attending court hearings as a forensic chemical
officer of the PNP Crime Laboratory 7 for 17 years. On two
occasions, he served as the office's spokesperson.
Plugged sat down with Mendoza to know more about the person, his
advocacy and the challenges in his life.
When did you start advocating for gender sensitivity? Who introduced
you to it?
I was introduced to the advocacy by Tonette Lopez of Gahum. And then
he invited me to join the organization. At first, I was very
apprehensive because I saw that their ways of expressing their
advocacy were not to my liking. They usually go on rallies. As a
government employee, I never felt it was proper for me to join
street rallies.
Gahum paid attention when I was given a contempt order in 2000. I
was cited for contempt because of the way I dressed up in court. A
defense lawyer vehemently objected to my presentation as a witness.
I was wearing slacks, flat sandals and a printed camisa-chino blouse
and my hair was just combed straight. Obviously, I was made-up.
The lawyer objected to my appearance.
When we speak of gender sensitivity, what does that mean?
It means trying to prove ourselves, the so-called minority members
of the third sex. It's not only for transgendered people like me,
but also for gay men, for lesbians, for transsexuals (those who have
undergone sex change operations). It's for everybody.
We would like to assert certain aspects of our lives to be accepted
by the so-called normal people.
All people are born equal. All races are born equal. But when it
comes to gender sensitivity, there are certain aspects in our
society and in our lives, some issues that are not widely accepted
by the so-called normal people. Usually, there is some form of
discrimination against certain minorities, not only gays but
lesbians, too.
Considering your gender preference, don't you have any reservations
and apprehensions that you might be discriminated against?
I always take things in a positive way. For example, that contempt
order? I was fined P100 for it. I readily paid and I did not fight
for any amendment to the order or any appeal, because I want to
prove to people that not all gays should be stereotyped.
We could live in a very normal society and get respected as well.
So, I started my advocacy. I took it as a challenge and I still go
to court in the same manner and attire as before.
I don't think what I wear to court is a form of contempt because
when I go to church, I still wear the same dresses.
Being a government employee, a police chemist and an advocate for
gender sensitivity, what are your responsibilities? Are you always
careful about how you behave in public?
Yes, even before I started with the advocacy, I always made it a
point to act decently, to act in a very respectable manner. I
believe respect begets respect. If you don't respect yourself, you
won't earn the people's respect.
How many gender sensitivity seminars have you attended?
I have been invited to two gender sensitivity programs. The first
one was in October last year in El Salvador, Danao City, Cebu. It
was an international conference for gay and lesbian rights. It was
sponsored by ILGA, the International League for Gays and Lesbians.
The second one was when I was invited to a media forum in November
in Miramar Hotel in Manila. It was sponsored by Kalakasan
Foundation, Women's Media Circle and Can't Live in the Closet. These
are a women's foundation and a gay rights foundation.
Are you affiliated with any organization?
I had been invited to join Gahum before but I declined to be an
active member. I told them I could help them in my own little way
without being an active member. I would rather go solo but I'm ready
to help out.
What do you expect to achieve in your advocacy?
I believe I could inspire or empower other gays, not necessarily to
go out and dress up, but I would like to encourage them to come out.
Magpakatotoo kayo! (Be true to yourselves.) You don't have to live
in the dark.
Be honest and you will be happier.
Were you afraid of being ridiculed?
Sa una, before nga medyo lalaki pa ko og itsura mas daghan ko
ma-meet nga form of verbal ridicule and harassment. (When I looked
more masculine, I encountered more forms of ridicule and
harassment.)
How did you react to that?
Sometimes deadma (I ignore it), sometimes when I'm in a fighting
mood, I retort. Whack! Lately, when I got older, I suffered less
verbal harassment, less ridicule.
It also matters how you carry yourself. During forums, one thing I
always point out is, don't be burara (messy). Respect yourself. Act
in a decent manner and you will earn the people's respect.
Moingon ko, look at me, my environment is very macho-the police. I
get their respect because of how I carry myself.
In the two forums where I served as the spokesperson, I made it a
point at the end of my speaking engagements to thank the Department
of Justice, the courts, the PNP. The police force is very
gender-sensitive. Honest, proud gyud ko moingon ana. They accepted
my personality.
Filipinos today have broader mindsets. Hopefully, in the years to
come, mas nindot na ang acceptance. (People will learn to accept
others better.)
What's your advice to the parents?
If you have children who have effeminate tendencies-because usually
it shows at a very young age-do not scold, do not ridicule them. Do
not harass them verbally, do not spank them, but do not also
encourage them. Treat them the way you treat a normal child and
guide them to the right path.
Ang tendency kong imong i-ridicule ang imong anak kay bayot,
maglayas-layas, mag rebelde ang bata. Ang tendency mapariwara. Adto
na hinuon sa masasamang damo. (If you poke fun at a child because he
seems effeminate, he will become rebellious or even run away. He'll
end up with the wrong crowds.)
If you instill a proper upbringing into them, they will grow up to
be decent persons.
How would you like to be addressed?
There really is no preference. I am just true to myself, whether I
get addressed as "Sir" or "Ma'am". Sometimes, some court officials
ask me how would I like them to address me. My standard answer: Any
way the court deems proper would be fine.
C Copyright 2002 - 2005 Sun.Star Publishing, Inc.
----------
d. N.Y. adopts same-sex rights law
Phoenix woman successfully lobbies for law that lets partners handle
burials.
Sunday, February 12, 2006
By Marnie Eisenstadt
Staff writer
Syracuse Post Standard, NY
http://www.syracuse.com/news/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/news-3/113
9738135256200.xml&coll=1
There are 27 steps in Terry Checksfield's garden - one for each year
the Phoenix woman spent with her partner, Barbara Blake.
The steps lead to a granite bird bath inscribed with Blake's name
and the words "grandmother," "friend," "companion" and "partner."
Checksfield sits near the bird bath almost every day. It is a
substitution for the grave she will never be able to visit.
Checksfield said Blake's family didn't approve of their
relationship, and the struggle over Blake only worsened when she
died. Checksfield said she was kept from the burial when Blake died
in 2004 and hasn't been allowed to visit her grave, which is on
Blake's family's property in Oswego County.
Blake's family said they have only done what she wanted. Her
daughter, Rhonda Blake, said she asked to have no service, and
wanted to buried on the land where she was born. It just happens to
be private property.
It was, and still is, a bitter tug-of-war. But Checksfield hopes a
law signed by Gov. George Pataki earlier this month will prevent
other domestic partners from experiencing the same pain.
The law, passed by the Senate and Assembly in June, creates a
simple, legally binding form anyone can use to designate another
person to be in charge of his or her remains. In the case that no
form was used, the law creates an order of priority that must be
followed. Domestic partners or spouses come first, followed by blood
relatives.
The law provides legal standing to both gay and straight domestic
partners, joining seven states and Washington, D.C. In New York
state, at least 46,000 people have identified themselves on the U.S.
Census as living in a gay domestic partnership.
Checksfield became the face of the proposed law in New York. In
October, she told her story to 1,000 people at the statewide meeting
of Empire State Pride Agenda, a lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender civil rights and advocacy organization.
From there, it went to the Legislature and the governor in hopes
that Checksfield's struggle could prove what a difference the law
would make.
And it did, said Joe Tarver, of the Empire State Pride Agenda. He
said the law offers new clarity to the legal ambiguity gay couples
face over end-of-life issues.
"I know it's quite common," Tarver said of what happened to
Checksfield. Family members unhappy with the gay relationship often
try to cut the grieving partner out of the burial and funeral
arrangements, he said.
"They frequently treat those relationships as nonexistent and view
that partnership as nonexistent."
That's exactlywhat Checksfield said happened to her, even though she
and Blake thought they had signed papers that would have prevented
legal struggles.
When Blake, who was 57 when she died in 2004, had a stroke and
cancer, she had already given Checksfield power of attorney. When it
was time, Checksfield took Blake home so she could die the way she
wanted.
But her legal rights ended when Blake's life did. As soon as Blake
was dead, her family came for her remains, Checksfield said. She
said she hasn't been able to grieve fully for her partner and
probably never will.
But the law signed by Pataki gave her some solace.
"I broke down and bawled like a baby when I heard," she said.
Michele Bonan of the Gay Men's Health Crisis in New York City said
that before the new law, there was no good way for people to ensure
that their bodies would be taken care of the way they wanted it to
be. A will might appear to be the answer, but she said many of her
organization's clients can't afford one. Even if they could, the
probate process can take months.
"This fills a critical gap in planning," Bonan said.
She said many of her organization's clients have been victims of New
York state's previous lack of a policy.
In one situation, a gay couple had purchased burial plots so they
could be buried next to each other. But one of the men died while
the other was out of town. His parents had him buried elsewhere even
though his wishes were clear.
Now it would be harder for that to happen.
"It is great to see New York join the ranks of other states that
have done this," Bonan said.
C 2006 The Post-Standard.
----------
Press Release.
e. Congress Sneaks Unique Protections for Boy Scouts of America's
Discrimination into Defense Authorization Bill
For Immediate Release and Distribution
February 10, 2006
Scouting for All
Contact:
Scott Cozza, Pres
in...@scoutingforall.org
Tel: 707-778-0564
Eric Marx, Northeastern Regional Director
northe...@scoutingforall.org
Tel: 301-656-1163
Last month, President Bush signed the National Defense Authorization
Act for Fiscal Year 2006 (H.R.1815), which was passed by Congress in
the final hours before its Christmas recess. Before the final
passage of this bill, however, supporters of the policies of the Boy
Scouts of America (BSA) that discriminate against gay and atheist
youth and adults slipped into the bill the so-called "Support Our
Scouts Act of 2005" (Section 1073). This eleventh-hour amendment,
entirely beyond the ordinary scope of a Defense Authorization bill,
is intended to give special treatment to BSA in three ways. First,
subject to the availability of appropriations, it purports to
immunize BSA from any law that might limit the Federal Government's
support of it, thus undercutting our Nation's anti-discrimination
laws (as well as its fiscal responsibility in government
expenditures). Second, this amendment requires the U.S. Department
of Defense to provide at least the same level of support for BSA's
national or world Jamborees as in past years. This is a direct
affront to the Federal Court injunction currently in place enjoining
such support as an unconstitutional establishment of religion in
violation of the First Amendment. Finally, this amendment requires
any state or local government entity that receives Community
Development Block Grant money from the Department of Housing and
Urban Development to allow BSA to have meetings in their facilities
or on their property, regardless of these entities' own laudable
anti-discrimination laws or regulations that forbid such access to
discriminatory groups. While some of these provisions purport to
apply to a number of youth organizations, their special focus on BSA
is clear, not only from the amendment's title, but also as the
protections are only needed to immunize BSA's exceptional
discrimination.
Scouting for All,* an anti-discrimination organization inspired by
Eagle Scout Steven Cozza, asks why Congress would go to such
extraordinary lengths to shield an organization that:
-Discriminates against gay and atheist youth and adults.
-Is under investigation by the FBI for fraud, inflating membership
numbers to increase funding.
-Who has a national executive arrested for receiving and
distributing child pornography.
-Who may be using its Learning for Life program to secure funding
legitimately denied to its traditional scouting program.
-Who allows its Scout Councils to mislead funding sources such as
the United Way by telling them they don't discriminate, yet continue
to adhere to the BSA's national mandated policy of discrimination
against gay and atheist youth and adults.
-Gives the youth under its charge the message that discrimination is
ok, and that gay and atheist people are morally inferior and not
good citizens.
-Gives the youth under its charge who have gay and/or atheist
parents the message that their parents don't have family values and
are morally inferior to heterosexual parents who profess religious
faith.
As recognized in the statements of Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA):
"The Boy Scouts of America policy of discriminating against
homosexuals and atheists is contradictory to the Federal
Government's support for diversity and tolerance and should not be
condoned as patriotic, charitable, or educational. An organization
that claims that its mission is to "instill in young people lifetime
values and develop in them ethical character," and to "train young
people in citizenship, service, and leadership" does a disservice to
our nation when it teaches young people that it is okay to
discriminate against someone based on their sexual orientation or
their religious convictions."
and Congressman Pete Stark (D-CA):
"I stand with Scouting for All in calling for the Boy Scouts of
America return to their roots of instilling the values of good
citizenship and teaching life skills to all Americans who wish to
join. If, instead, the organization continues to sanction
discrimination on behalf of its right-wing financial backers, then
the federal government has a moral and Constitutional duty to sever
all financial and symbolic ties to the organization. That would be a
shame, because there are plenty of exclusive organizations in this
country dedicated to intolerance, but far too few that bring kids of
all backgrounds together to share in meaningful life experiences,"
the Federal Government has no place putting itself out as the
protector of invidious discrimination. While these sentiments have
been echoed by other elected officials -- most especially
Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA), who has repeatedly expressed his
deep disappointment that BSA "betrays its own professed mission of
bringing out the best in young people by perpetuating this unfair
and unjustified discrimination based on sexual orientation and
religious belief" -- all too few of our Representatives and Senators
stood up to the backroom dealings that led to the last-minute
insertion of this amendment in the "must-pass" Defense Authorization
bill.
Scouting for All calls for the prompt repeal of this pernicious
legislative sneak attack on the civil rights of all Americans, and
for an end to the special protections given to BSA's discrimination.
We hope to soon see the day when all Americans are equally treated
with the respect and dignity they so rightly deserve. As the
Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "An injustice anywhere is
a threat to justice everywhere."
--
*Scouting for All is a 501(c) (3) charitable, nonprofit organization
that undertakes educational activities and outreach programs
opposing BSA's intolerance and discrimination. These include
maintaining our Internet web site, http://www.scoutingforall.org/;
providing consultations to BSA members, religious groups,
governmental bodies, schools, businesses and the United Way;
providing support to Gay-Straight Alliance Clubs in high schools;
organizing protests at BSA events, including its annual BSA National
Council meeting; participating in gay-pride events; providing
support to gay and atheist or nontheistic scouts and leaders;
creating and distributing literature from Scouting for All; speaking
at national and regional conferences, including PFLAG (Parents,
Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) and the NGLTF (National
Gay and Lesbian Task Force); organizing our Annual National
Recognition of GLBT Youth and Gay and Atheist Scout Month in
October, which includes rallies, fund-raisers and celebrations for
GLBT youth; and coordinating Scouting for All's Alliance for Human
Rights. Tax-deductible financial contributions can be made on our
web site, http://www.scoutingforall.org/ , or sent to Scouting for
All, POB 2832, Petaluma, CA 94953-2832.
----------
Open Letter.
f. Letter To Alan Chambers
By Daniel Gonzales
Ex-Gay Watch
February 11, 2006
http://www.exgaywatch.com/blog/
Alan,
This letter is in regards to your statement
(<http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2006/02/11/cpac/>) at the
(February 2006) Conservative Political Action Conference, "lifelong
homosexual relationships are not possible."
Your organization, Exodus International, relies almost entirely on
personal testimonies to provide substantiation of your claims
changing one's sexuality is possible. In your very own print-ad
published by Exodus titled "I Questioned Homosexuality"
(<http://www.exodus-international.org/pdf/AlanLeslieAd.pdf>) you are
quoted, "I am living proof that change is possible."
Reaching gay and lesbian Americans is the stated goal of Exodus.
Nationwide there are tens of thousands of gay and lesbian Americans
who are now married in Massachusetts or have signed up for other
various domestic partner registries in other states. You have
essentially said gay people are liars and those in domestic
partnerships are merely shams.
When I shared an evening with ex-gay Chad Thompson we engaged in
civil debate and respected the testimonies and experiences of the
other. Civil debate ceases to exist when either side says the
personal experiences of the other is a lie.
Your statement is shameful and it saddens my heart. You have just
insulted countless gay and lesbian Americans and said their first
hand testimonies mean nothing. Since your case rests entirely on
taking ex-gays at their word, I really have no idea why gay people
should bother to return the favor. If you care not to listen to gay
and lesbian Americans, then I highly doubt they will care to listen
to you. What you just said undermined the only reason gay people
should believe change is possible. I'm not sure who your
organization is ministering to now, but it certainly doesn't look
like gay and lesbian Americans.
Daniel Gonzales
Ex-Gay Watch
--
Permission to copy, reprint, repost and rebroadcast this letter in
whole is granted to all provided attribution is given to it's
author, "Daniel Gonzales of ExGayWatch.com."
----------
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C. section 107. Please note that distribution of articles doesn't
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-----
~~Autumn Sandeen~~
Transgender Equity Alliance team member
San Diego Transgender Community Coalition Board Member
transgendernews YahooGroup Moderator
GLBT_News YahooGroup Moderator
"In a nation of minorities, it is important that you don't
cherry-pick rights. A right is a right."
Paul Martin
-----