Tag Archives: LGBT

Gay Conversion Therapy Ban Upheld

Supreme Court declines review of gay treatment ban

by Brian Leubitz

While there was some very disappointing news coming out of the Supreme Court today, there was some positive as well:

The justices on Monday let stand an appeals court ruling that said the state’s ban on so-called conversion therapy for minors doesn’t violate the free speech rights of licensed counselors and patients seeking treatment.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last year that California lawmakers properly showed that efforts to change sexual orientation were outside the scientific mainstream and have been rejected for good reason.(SacBee)

This is very good news for teenagers that had been subjected to the harmful practice. It has no basis in anything resembling science, gives credibility to homophobes, and can irreparably damage the self-esteem of its victims.

In short, there is clear evidence that reparative therapy does not work, and some significant evidence that it is also harmful to LGBT people.

In contrast, there is ample evidence that societal prejudice causes significant medical, psychological and other harms to LGBT people. (HRC)

As you can see from the statistics in the image to the right, LGBT youth face many challenges already. There is no place for this practice in anything resembling a medical setting, and it should never be forced upon children. This ban is a big step forward in the fight against homophobia.

Anti-transgender referendum of AB 1266 Fails to Qualify

Referendum fell below required total in manual count

by Brian Leubitz

The good news has been quickly spreading: the referendum to overturn AB 1266, a bill to guarantee equal opportunity for transgender students, has failed to gather enough valid signatures. From the Transgender Law Center’s email just now:

Today, the effort to repeal the School Success and Opportunity Act – California’s new law ensuring that all children have a fair opportunity to succeed in school – failed to qualify for the ballot.

California’s School Success and Opportunity Act – also known as AB 1266 – went into effect on January 1st ensuring that schools have the guidance they need to make sure all students, including those who are transgender, have the opportunity to do well in school and graduate. The law is modeled on policies and practices that are already working well in schools across the state, and gives important guidance to educators so they can work with students and families on a case-by-case basis.(Transgender Law Center)

The latest county by county count is available here (PDF). At the time of that document, supporters of the referendum were about 17,000 valid signatures short of the required total.

The proponents have indicated that they will investigate the invalid signatures, but the invalidity rate of 21.3% wasn’t that much higher than the typical 19-20% invalidity rate. They may try to challenge something or other in the courts, but it looks like there will be no fight on this particular issue in November.

In the end, the failure avoids what could have been a harsh battle for the transgender community. Asm. Tom Ammiano, who authored the bill, is always one to find a silver lining:

The good thing that comes out of this misguided referendum effort is that we were able to continue to educate people. It’s important that we begin to understand what transgender students are going through. I wish it was just a matter of ignorance. The forces putting this referendum together included the people that make money off promoting hate and professional fear mongers, who took advantage of what other people didn’t understand. Although it’s clear that California is moving in the direction of equality and respect, this does not mean the struggle is over. For every child like Pat Cordova – accepted on her Azusa High school’s softball team last week – there is another child living with a secret because of bullying. The people who belittle the rights of transgender students should know their efforts encourage the bullies. It is their intolerance that allows the violence to continue, and that violence affects every child, not just transgender students. They should be ashamed.

Transgender Rights, the Right, and the Ballot Box

Referendum Still Hangs in the Balance In Signature Verification Stage

by Brian Leubitz

Here in California, and the nation as a whole, gay rights is a concept that we are used to. People see gay and lesbian families on tv and in their neighborhoods. But the T in LGBT sometimes gets ignored. You need only look back at the fight back in the middle of the last decade over trans inclusion in ENDA to see how the transgender movement isn’t always included in the broader LGBT family. To some extent, we are seeing some positive momentum on public awareness, with Laverne Cox’s role on Orange is the New Black and her leadership on trans issues. (For example, take a look at this amazing clip of her on the Katie Couric show.)

But California is a leader in working to promote equality. We’re far from perfect, but Asm. Tom Ammiano’s School Success and Opportunity Act, which officially went into effect on Jan 1, gave transgender students a fair chance in our schools. The new law allows students to use gender segregated facilities and participate in activities for their chosen gender. The Transgender Law Center (an amazing and effective organization, btw) summarizes it this way:

Before the School Success and Opportunity Act, many schools did not understand how to fulfill their obligations to support transgender students. With this new guidance, schools – from Sacramento to San Diego – are now updating and implementing new policies to ensure all students have a fair chance to participate in all school programs and activities.

This law gives these students a fair shot to succeed. And, in fact, large majorities agree that transgender people deserve the same rights and protections as other Americans. But, there is still a lingering question as to what that really means:

However, the political X factor is that a large chunk of the population doesn’t know what transgender means. In that same survey, only 30 percent said they “completely agree” that they are well-informed about transgender people and their issues.

The activists proposing the ballot measure say no student should be bullied. But they are incensed about one aspect of the law: the question of access to restrooms and locker rooms. (SF Chronicle / Joe Garofoli)

And, as you see in the video to the right, Karen England, who is running the referendum campaign, doesn’t really understand what it means to be transgender either.

England, it turns out, is not a gender identity expert — her career has been devoted to right-wing politics. If she were familiar with the findings of the American Academy of Pediatrics – which reports that gender identity is generally established by about age four – she may not have been so shocked that the new law “is for kindergarteners as well as high schoolers.”

Moreover, England would also have recognized that boys won’t simply “wake up one day and] decide that they’re girls.” Not only do scientific findings rebut such claims, they also have no empirical basis. School districts that have enacted similar protections have reported no instances of inappropriate bathroom behavior. Right-wing media figures like Fox’s Bill O’Reilly and Greg Gutfeld have sought to stoke “bathroom panic,” based on nothing more than their claims that they themselves would take advantage of the law to sneak into women’s restrooms and locker rooms.([Media Matters)

Apparently Huckabee and England think this is some sort of trick to see girls changing after PE class. Because heterosexual boys are clamoring the world over to be thought of as having gender identity issues. In reality, this is no different than your standard rightwing sex panic BS. They understand that they can’t segregate gay students, and stop them from using the restrooms, or force students back into the closet. That is just clearly not going to happen. But this offers something that might make people unfamiliar with the issues uncomfortable..

And that squirm factor is what they are counting on to reignite the culture war in California.

“This could get voters who wouldn’t get out for other issues, but will for this,” said Karen England, a longtime conservative activist who is co-chairing the Privacy for All Students campaign to put the measure on the ballot. “And I think this will stop any other state from introducing” similar legislation.(SF Chronicle / Joe Garofoli)

And that is what this is really about, a chance to score political points at the expense of vulnerable students. It is playing with the future of children for a chance to ratchet up the heat on the culture war. As Laverne Cox states in the link above, we have a long way to go on transgender equality:

The reality of trans people’s lives is that so often we are targets of violence. We experience discrimination disproportionately to the rest of the community. Our unemployment rate is twice the national average; if you are a trans person of color, that rate is four times the national average. The homicide rate is highest among trans women. (Salon)

As for the referendum, TLC puts its current status this way:

The referendum attempt to repeal the School Success and Opportunity Act, AB 1266, did not qualify to go to the ballot box in November. Unfortunately, our opponents did gather enough signatures to require the state to conduct a full and thorough count. We are cautiously optimistic that after the full count results are in on February 24th, the referendum attempt will be doomed to the dustbin of history.

It will take a while to go through all of the signatures, and while England’s group got a boost from a legal victory last week, the outcome is still in the balance. A ballot measure would be both expensive, in addition to being highly offensive to vote on whether students will have equal opportunity.

Reps. Takano and Ros-Lehtinen Call for Sochi Security

Rep. Takano indicates concern for security at Winter Olympics after anti-LGBT legislation and violence

by Brian Leubitz

Rep. Mark Takano (D-Riverside) and Rep. Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) authored a letter to the US Olympic Committee questioning security for athletes and fans at next year’s Winter Olympics. The pair cited the increasing hostility and violence furthered by a flood of anti-LGBT legislation.

We are very concerned with Russia’s anti-lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) law and the upcoming Winter Olympics being hosted in Sochi. The protection of an individual’s human rights, regardless of a person’s background, is of utmost concern to us as Americans and Members of Congress. …

We call on the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) to ensure that any American athlete, or someone associated with an American team, is afforded the right to show solidarity with, and support of, LGBT people around the globe to be free from discrimination and harm. Wearing a pin or another outward manifestation of solidarity with LGBT athletes should not be defined as ‘political’ if it is not intended to support any clear political party or position but is intended, instead, to highlight the spirit of the Olympic Games, which celebrates the unique humanity of all athletes from every country and culture.

The Russian government has promised to maintain security surrounding the event, and to allow somewhat free expression. However, the IOC is somewhat glib about casting aside “political speech” as unappropriate for the Olympic games.

Of course, the other big question is how the notoriously corrupt IOC will handle the possibility of athletes publicly calling out the Russian legislation during medal ceremonies. The black power salute (right) that has become a pivotal moment in the fight for civil rights cost the two Americans and the Australian sprinter who won the silver medal, Peter Norman, dearly. It is still far from clear whether LGBT and supporter athletes would face the same kind of intimidation from the IOC.

The USOC can and should do more to protect athletes and supporters in Sochi while furthering the true spirit (rather than the corporatism) of the Olympic Games.

Transgender Student Elected Homecoming Queen in Huntington Beach

Principal says “We’re proud of the message from home of the Vikings has been one of equity, acceptance, tolerance and respect.”

by Brian Leubitz

The historic Vikings weren’t very tolerant or understanding, but that’s not the case for the Vikings of Marina High School in Huntington Beach. Over the weekend, Marina High chose Cassidy Lynn Campbell as its homecoming queen. What makes that notable is that Cassidy is a transgender student living in a pretty conservative area of Orange County. While she knows there is still a lot of hate left in the community, Cassidy is a proud leader:

Cassidy Campbell says she has dealt with some negativity since she decided to run for homecoming queen. She says it’s all fueled by ignorance.

“They think that I’m just a boy doing this for fun, and I’m just a boy dressing up as a girl and trying to win a crown when that is completely the opposite of what it is,” she said. “I’ve always seen myself as a girl.”

She hopes her courage will inspire other transgender teens to live life without hiding who they are.(KABC – 7 LA)

With the passage and Jerry Brown’s signature of Asm. Ammiano’s School Success and Opportunity Act, transgender students will have the freedom to pursue every opportunity that other students have. Equality takes a fight, but with positive signs like this, it is clear that justice is winning.

Congratulations Cassidy!

Pan’s Resolution for Equal LGBT Veteran Benefits Gets Bipartisan Majorities

Dr. Richard Pan for AssemblyResolution gets a few Republican votes

by Brian Leubitz

Republicans don’t go out of their way to support LGBT Californians. That being said, it is hard for them to vote against veterans, no matter the cause. So, it was quite the conflict when Richard Pan’s AJR 19 rolled through the Legislature. The resolution calls on the federal government to provide equal benefits for LGBT veterans. But the measure got several Republican votes in both houses.

“Today California is united in recognizing the service of every veteran and correcting the injustices our LGBT veterans have endured for so long,” Dr. Pan said. “I applaud recent efforts by the Obama Administration to provide equal benefits for all veterans, but there is still much work to do.  I am hopeful that our leaders in Washington will heed this bipartisan call for equality and do right by the veterans who have put their lives on the line defending our country.”

“AJR 19 raises all of California’s voice in demanding that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender veterans be treated equally,” said John O’Connor, EQCA executive director. “These veterans risk their safety to defend all of our equality, and California has a duty to demand equal treatment for them. We hope the rest of the country will follow.”

The biggest issue here is the punishment handed out under DADT, and its even harsher predecessor, while it was in effect. From 1980 until the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell in 2011, over 32,000 service personnel were separated from the Armed Forces of the United States under DADT and its predecessor policies. Because these discharges were sometimes characterized as “dishonorable” or “other than honorable,” many of these service personnel and their spouses became ineligible for veterans benefits.

In 2012, the legislature passed Dr. Pan’s AB 1505, establishing that that if the federal government acts to reinstate benefits to discharged veterans who were denied those benefits solely on the basis of sexual orientation serving in the Armed Forces of the United States, California shall also reinstate to those veterans any state-offered benefits.  The federal government has yet to broadly reinstate such benefits.

Leno’s SR 18 Condemns Russia’s Anti-LGBT Policies

Mark Leno, San Francisco Pride 2013Resolution calls for avoiding investments in Russia until LGBT policy is changed

by Brian Leubitz

In case you’ve been living under a rock, the government of Russia is pushing to scapegoat the LGBT community, as President Putin is losing credibility.  The move combines with a very homophobic attitude from the Russian Orthodox Church to create a toxic environment and causing [increasing violence against the community. Yesterday, a resolution introduced by Senator Mark Leno that urges CalPERS and CalSTRS not to invest future resources from their pension plans in Russia passed the Senate Public Employment and Retirement Committee today with a 4-1 bipartisan vote.

Senate Resolution 18 was introduced in response to Russia’s new laws that discriminate against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. In addition to asking the state’s two largest pension funds to stop making direct future investments in Russia, SR 18 calls on the International Olympic Committee to withdraw its position that expressing support for LGBT people and their rights is a violation of its rules and seek a written guarantee from the Russian government that athletes and other visitors to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi will not be prosecuted under the anti-gay laws. SR 18 also urges other organizations holding large internationally televised events in Russia, including the Miss Universe Organization and its owner Donald Trump, to move their events to countries without such virulently anti-gay laws.

“Russia’s new anti-gay laws are designed to promote the ongoing persecution of LGBT people in that country, and they are an unconscionable affront to LGBT people around the globe,” said Senator Leno, D-San Francisco. “As the host of international events, including the Winter Olympics and the Miss Universe Pageant, it is unacceptable that Russia promote discrimination against people based solely on sexual orientation or gender identity. California joins the worldwide outrage against these new laws and is in a unique position as one of the largest economies to make a strong statement that we will not tolerate nor invest in blatant violations of human rights.”

The measure goes to the full Senate floor, where it will hopefully be quickly sped upon its way.

Rightwing Groups Look At Referendum on Transgender Student Equity

 photo Karen-England_zps73455f5f.jpgHope to put student protections to a vote

by Brian Leubitz

There is a lot of misinformation going around about Asm. Ammiano’s transgender student equality law.  Since Gov. Brown signed it last week, the rightwingers have been stirring themselves into a frenzy online. If you are really intent on wading into the sewers, you can always google “transgender equality free republic” and you can find such nonsense as:

So all a guy has to do is say is that he believes he is a woman trapped in a mans body but that that woman is a lesbian so that he can use the girls-room and it’s open season?

So this is what we are dealing with as we seek to protect some of the most bullied students in our educational system. Unemployment rates in the transgender community are more than double the general population. If we are serious about protecting our students, this is a critical step that we must take.

AB 1266 is a short bill, but it is definitely not a simple bill. The bill allows students to “use facilities consistent with his or her gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on the pupil’s records.” Implementation of the law is up to local officials for the time being, but this will not be an easy process. Gender identity has a meaning far deeper than a teenage prankster will really care to carry the joke. Gender identity is all pervasive in our lives, kids are simply not going to fake it. That’s a red herring that the right wing just can’t seem to get over.  And because of that, they have plans for the legislation:

Republican lawmakers denounced the move on social media, and Assemblyman Tim Donnelly, R-Twin Peaks, said he would pull his children from public school.

On Friday, some of those detractors filed a referendum to overturn the law, which they have dubbed the “the co-ed bathroom bill.”

“We respect that some students are struggling with their own sexual identity, but we ask for respect for the other students who will be humiliated when a boy walks into the (girls’) locker room,” said Karen England, who is executive director of the Capitol Resource Institute and the contact point on paperwork submitted to the attorney general’s office. “This is a privacy issue, a safety issue, and a common sense issue.”(SacBee)

There is really very little to be surprised at in this statement. Karen England is uninformed and afraid of what she does not understand. The “boy” that will be treated like a female student will not be some horny kid looking for jollies. It will be children fighting to understand themselves, just looking for the same rights to safely participate as every other student.

You may recognize Karen England’s name. She also tried to put SB 48 to a referndum. That bill included LGBT Californians in our educational curriculum, and she just couldn’t handle that either.  England wasn’t successful in signature gathering for that measure, and likely won’t be for this measure either. She is merely spitting into the winds of progress. And as for Donnelly, well, my guess is that his threat rings hollow on any number of levels.

Rightwing Groups Look At Referendum on Transgender Student Equity

 photo Karen-England_zps73455f5f.jpgHope to put student protections to a vote

by Brian Leubitz

There is a lot of misinformation going around about Asm. Ammiano’s transgender student equality law.  Since Gov. Brown signed it last week, the rightwingers have been stirring themselves into a frenzy online. If you are really intent on wading into the sewers, you can always google “transgender equality free republic” and you can find such nonsense as:

So all a guy has to do is say is that he believes he is a woman trapped in a mans body but that that woman is a lesbian so that he can use the girls-room and it’s open season?

So this is what we are dealing with as we seek to protect some of the most bullied students in our educational system. Unemployment rates in the transgender community are more than double the general population. If we are serious about protecting our students, this is a critical step that we must take.

AB 1266 is a short bill, but it is definitely not a simple bill. The bill allows students to “use facilities consistent with his or her gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on the pupil’s records.” Implementation of the law is up to local officials for the time being, but this will not be an easy process. Gender identity has a meaning far deeper than a teenage prankster will really care to carry the joke. Gender identity is all pervasive in our lives, kids are simply not going to fake it. That’s a red herring that the right wing just can’t seem to get over.  And because of that, they have plans for the legislation:

Republican lawmakers denounced the move on social media, and Assemblyman Tim Donnelly, R-Twin Peaks, said he would pull his children from public school.

On Friday, some of those detractors filed a referendum to overturn the law, which they have dubbed the “the co-ed bathroom bill.”

“We respect that some students are struggling with their own sexual identity, but we ask for respect for the other students who will be humiliated when a boy walks into the (girls’) locker room,” said Karen England, who is executive director of the Capitol Resource Institute and the contact point on paperwork submitted to the attorney general’s office. “This is a privacy issue, a safety issue, and a common sense issue.”(SacBee)

There is really very little to be surprised at in this statement. Karen England is uninformed and afraid of what she does not understand. The “boy” that will be treated like a female student will not be some horny kid looking for jollies. It will be children fighting to understand themselves, just looking for the same rights to safely participate as every other student.

You may recognize Karen England’s name. She also tried to put SB 48 to a referndum. That bill included LGBT Californians in our educational curriculum, and she just couldn’t handle that either.  England wasn’t successful in signature gathering for that measure, and likely won’t be for this measure either. She is merely spitting into the winds of progress. And as for Donnelly, well, my guess is that his threat rings hollow on any number of levels.

Jose Julio Sarria: The LGBT Community Loses A Trailblazer

 photo JoseCommunique_zps0d7f2eda.jpgWWII Vet was first openly gay candidate in American history

by Brian Leubitz

Jose Julio Sarria was a trailblazer in the LGBT community. That word is tossed around lightly sometimes, but it would be hard to imagine a more perfect moniker for Mr. Sarria. And the LGBT community has lost a legend today.

One of America’s gay rights pioneering leaders, José Julio Sarria, passed away quietly in his home in New Mexico this morning. He was 91.

Mr. Sarria was a proud World War II veteran and the very first openly gay candidate to run for public office in North America. He was a candidate for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1961. Mr. Sarria’s candidacy was the start of true gay political power and gave voice to gay people who were tired of being treated like second class citizens. San Diego City Commissioner Nicole Murray Ramirez, a close friend of Mr. Sarria’s and a long time Latino Gay Activist stated “José Julio Sarria was indeed the Rosa Parks of the gay rights movement as an activist in the 1950s and 1960s.” (GLAAD)

Sarria formed the Imperial Court System, a kind of gay version of the Rotary Club…with a lot more makeup. The system now has chapters in over sixty cities across North America, where it continues to give back to local communities.  As you can see from this 9 page bio (PDF), Sarria had a long history of breaking barriers both for the Latino and LGBT communities.

Leaders who are unafraid of creating change, and are dedicated to fighting for the future and the rights of those who come after them, are rare. José Julio Sarria lived an amazing life, and during his 91 years he saw much. And he helped make the world a better place, both through hard work and humor.