March 10: Women and Girls and HIV/AIDS, Oh My!

National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is observed specifically on March 10 every year, and it is coordinated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office on Women's Health (OWH). OWH encourages organizations to hold events throughout the entire month of March.

National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is a nationwide observance that encourages people to take action in the fight against HIV/AIDS and raise awareness of its impact on women and girls.

According to the CDC, HIV/AIDS is a serious public health issue affecting nearly 280,000 women in the United States. While men account for most HIV/AIDS cases, the impact on women is growing. In addition, research shows that, when compared to men, women face gaps in access and care.

For a handy fact sheet, go here:

National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day Fact Sheet (PDF, 434 KB)

(The new healthcare law, the Affordable Care Act, will prohibit insurance plans from putting lifetime caps on the dollar amount that they will spend on benefits. In the past, patients with HIV/AIDS, cancer, or other chronic diseases ran the risk of hitting a lifetime cap and losing access to care. The law also restricts most insurance companies' use of low annual dollar limits on benefits. In 2014, annual limits will be eliminated. In addition, the Affordable Care Act will help those living with HIV/AIDS be better able to afford their medications.)

The Affordable Care Act and National HIV/AIDS Strategy are two important steps in the fight against HIV/AIDS, but HIV/AIDS is an issue that affects all people, and we each need to do our part ot make a positive difference. On National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, OWH calls on individuals and organizations across the country to take action and bring attention to the impact HIV/AIDS has on women and girls.

It helps organizations across the country come together to offer support, encourage discussion, and teach women and girls about prevention of HIV, the importance of getting tested for HIV, and how to live with and manage HIV/AIDS.

Education is key to making a difference with the disease, but action items that people can do in response to HIV/AIDS are most empowering. Some ideas include:

• Get tested for HIV, and encourage your friends to do so. If you can, offer incentives for people to get tested.
  
• Encourage your newspaper or schools to sponsor an essay contest on the epidemic.
• Submit an editorial or letter on local needs to your newspaper.
• Encourage radio stations to air public service announcements.
• Learn about the risk factors for acquiring HIV, and talk about them.
• Make the choice to practice safer sex and avoid higher risk behaviors.
  
• Talk about HIV prevention with family, friends, and colleagues.
• Tell people about why this day is important to you and people you know.
• Talk about the epidemic’s impact on your community with friends and family.
• Provide support to people living with HIV/AIDS.
• Volunteer at a local organization that serves people living with HIV.
• Help fund an event for the Day or support it with in-kind donations.

Visit AIDS.gov for more information from the federal government about HIV/AIDS prevention, testing, treatment, research, and using new media in response to HIV/AIDS.

OutServe Posts DADT Training Materials

The group OutServe has begun providing copies of the DADT repeal implementation materials. Here's what they have so far:

Early Army DADT repeal training

Share Posted on February 25, 2011

Below are 4 documents that show some training the Army has handed out. The Powerpoint is specific to JAGs, but the other documents are generic for Army Training for the repeal of DADT.

Army DADT FAQs

DADT_Enclosure_4_-_Army_Guiding_Principles

10 things you need to know for DADT Repeal

DADT Powerpoint JAG

Navy Tier 3 Training

Share Posted on February 28, 2011

The below links are from the Navy Tier 3 (General Population Training). The Tier 3 Training has now begun and the mobile teams in the Navy appear to be starting their training early next month at various bases.

Navy DADT Pamphlet

Navy DADT Slides

Navy DADT Presenter Guidance

Navy Lecture Handout

Marines Set Date of 31 May

Share Posted on February 16, 2011

Date Signed: 2/16/2011
MARADMIN Active 108/11 2011

R 161455Z FEB 11
UNCLASSIFIED//
MARADMIN 108/11
MSGID/GENADMIN/CMC WASHINGTON DC DMCS//
SUBJ/EXECUTION GUIDANCE FOR REPEAL OF DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL//
REF/A/MSGID:DOC/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC/22DEC2010//
REF/B/MSGID:DOC/TITLE 10 US CODE, SECTION 654/-//
REF/C/MSGID:MSG/CMC WASHINGTON DC/231709ZDEC2010//
REF/D/MSGID:DOC/CMC WASHINGTON DC/28JAN2011//
NARR/REF A IS SECDEF MEMO DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL REPEAL LEGISLATION ANNOUNCEMENT. REF B IS 10 U.S.C. SECTION 654 (DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL). REF C IS ALMAR 047-10, REPEAL OF DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL. REF D IS SECDEF MEMO, IMPLEMENTATION OF A REPEAL OF TITLE 10, UNITED STATES CODE, SECTION 654 INCLUDING THE TERMS OF REFERENCE.//
GENTEXT/REMARKS/

1. THIS MARADMIN PROVIDES EXECUTION GUIDANCE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE REPEAL OF THE DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL POLICY.

2. ON 22 DECEMBER 2010, THE PRESIDENT SIGNED A LAW THAT SET THE CONDITIONS FOR THE REPEAL OF 10 U.S.C. SECTION 654, COMMONLY KNOWN AS DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL. THE REPEAL WILL BECOME EFFECTIVE 60 DAYS AFTER THE PRESIDENT TRANSMITS TO THE CONGRESSIONAL DEFENSE COMMITTEES THE CERTIFICATION REQUIRED BY THE STATUTE. UNTIL THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF REPEAL, 10 U.S.C. SECTION 654 AND ASSOCIATED POLICIES REMAIN IN EFFECT, AND HOMOSEXUAL CONDUCT REMAINS A BASIS FOR SEPARATION FROM MILITARY SERVICE.

3. SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION DEPENDS ON LEADERSHIP, PROFESSIONALISM, DISCIPLINE, AND RESPECT, WHICH MUST CONTINUE TO BE PRACTICED AT ALL TIMES AND IN ALL SITUATIONS. LEADERS AT ALL LEVELS MUST SET THE EXAMPLE AND MUST BE FULLY COMMITTED TO DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE (DOD) INTENT TO SUSTAIN UNIT EFFECTIVENESS, READINESS, AND COHESION. IN THE PROFESSION OF ARMS, ADHERENCE TO STANDARDS OF CONDUCT IS ESSENTIAL, EACH SERVICE MEMBER MUST BE TREATED WITH RESPECT AND DIGNITY, AND LEADERSHIP IS KEY TO CREATING AND SUSTAINING SUCH AN ENVIRONMENT AND COMMAND CLIMATE WHERE THE OPPORTUNITY TO ADVANCE AND ACHIEVE EXCELLENCE IS AVAILABLE TO ALL.

4. TRAINING
A. TRAINING REQUIREMENTS. ALL ACTIVE COMPONENT MARINES, RESERVE COMPONENT MARINES (MINUS INDIVIDUAL READY RESERVE (IRR) UNLESS ON ACTIVE DUTY), AND CIVILIAN SUPERVISORS OF MARINES MUST UNDERGO REPEAL IMPLEMENTATION TRAINING. IRR MARINES WILL BE TRAINED WHEN THEY NEXT ENTER INTO A FEDERAL STATUS. UNITS SCHEDULED TO DEPLOY WILL COMPLETE THE TRAINING PRIOR TO DEPLOYING. UNITS THAT WILL NOT REDEPLOY BEFORE 31 MAY 2011 WILL BE TRAINED WHILE STILL IN THEATER.
B. TRAINING PLAN. THE DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW WORKING GROUP DEVELOPED A FRAMEWORK FOR IMPLEMENTATION WITH THREE TIERS OF TRAINING AND EDUCATION, EACH TARGETED TO DIFFERENT GROUPS.
(1) TIER 1 – EXPERT/SPECIAL STAFF LEVEL (E.G., STAFF JUDGE ADVOCATES, CHAPLAINS, RECRUITERS, MILITARY PERSONNEL AND ADMINISTRATIVE SPECIALISTS, MILITARY LAW ENFORCEMENT, MILITARY CRIMINAL INVESTIGATORS, FAMILY READINESS OFFICERS, MILITARY EQUAL OPPORTUNITY ADVISORS, INSPECTORS GENERAL, PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICERS AND HEALTH SERVICES PERSONNEL). SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS FROM HEADQUARTERS MARINE CORPS (HQMC) WILL TRAIN AND EDUCATE THOSE WITHIN THEIR SPECIFIC COMMUNITY ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NEW POLICY NO LATER THAN 15 MARCH 2011.
(2) TIER 2 – LEADER LEVEL (E.G., COMMANDERS, SENIOR ENLISTED ADVISORS AND CIVILIAN SUPERVISORS OF MARINES).
(A) DESIGNATED MARINE FORCE (MARFOR) AND MAJOR SUBORDINATE COMMAND (MSC) MARINES RECEIVED TIER 2 TRAINING AND EDUCATION AT HQMC ON 3 FEBRUARY 2011. THESE LEADERS WILL LEAD IN TRAINING THE REMAINING TIER 2 LEADERS WITHIN THEIR MARFOR/MSC NO LATER THAN 15 MARCH 2011.
(B) LEADERS TRAINED AT HQMC WERE PROVIDED WITH THE COMMANDER’S TOOLKIT WHICH INCLUDES THE COMMANDANT AND SERGEANT MAJOR OF THE MARINE CORPS VIDEO, EXECUTION GUIDANCE, PUBLIC AFFAIRS TALKING POINTS, FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS, VIGNETTES, TIER 1 POINT PAPERS, TIER 2 AND 3 BRIEFS, USMC PUBLICATION AND REFERENCE CHANGES, AND THE SUPPORT PLAN FOR IMPLEMENTATION. THE COMMANDER’S TOOLKIT WILL BE AVAILABLE ON THE MANPOWER AND RESERVE AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT WEBSITE ON 1 MARCH 2011.
(3) TIER 3 – MARINES, SAILORS ASSIGNED TO MARINE UNITS, AND CIVILIAN SUPERVISORS. COMMANDERS AND SENIOR ENLISTED ADVISORS DOWN TO THE BATTALION/SQUADRON/DETACHMENT LEVEL WILL CONDUCT THE TIER 3 TRAINING OF THEIR MARINES, SAILORS, AND CIVILIAN SUPERVISORS. FACE-TO-FACE DELIVERY BY COMMANDERS AND OFFICERS IN CHARGE (OIC) IS THE PRIMARY METHOD. PERSONNEL UNABLE TO ATTEND A COMMANDER/OIC TRAINING AND EDUCATION BRIEF (E.G., GEOGRAPHICALLY ISOLATED, PERMANENT CHANGE OF STATION/LEAVE, ETC.) WILL BE DIRECTED TO COMPLETE THE EDUCATION AND TRAINING VA MARINENET. TRAINING AND EDUCATION BRIEF WILL BE AVAILABLE ON MARINENET ON 1 MARCH 2011. TIER 3 TRAINING AND EDUCATION SHOULD BE COMPLETE BY 31 MAY 2011.

5. REPORTING PROCEDURES
A. ON A BI-MONTHLY BASIS, COMMANDERS WILL REPORT THEIR TRAINING AND EDUCATION PROGRESS THROUGH THEIR CHAIN OF COMMAND. MARFORS WILL REPORT PROGRESS TO THE DIRECTOR, MARINE CORPS STAFF. SPECIFIC REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS WILL BE PROVIDED VIA SEPARATE MARADMIN.
B. COMMANDERS WILL ENSURE COMPLETION OF TRAINING AND EDUCATION IS DOCUMENTED IN THE MARINE CORPS TOTAL FORCE SYSTEM (MCTFS) VIA THE MARINE ONLINE TRAINING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM OR UNIT DIARY/MANPOWER INTEGRATED PERSONNEL SYSTEM (UD/MIPS).
C. CIVILIAN SUPERVISORS WILL REPORT COMPLETION OF TRAINING AND EDUCATION TO THEIR RESPECTIVE HUMAN RESOURCES OFFICE (HRO). THE HRO WILL REPORT THE TRAINING AND EDUCATION TO THE CIVILIAN WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT BRANCH (MPC), MANPOWER AND RESERVE AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT.

6. UPON REPEAL OF THE DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL LAW, THE BELOW LISTED MARINE CORPS ORDERS AND DIRECTIVES WILL BE UPDATED. A MARINE CORPS BULLETIN WILL BE RELEASED TO PROMULGATE THE CHANGES.
A. MARINE CORPS MANUAL.
B. MCO 1040.31, ENLISTED RETENTION AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM.
C. MCO P1100.72C W/CH 1, MILITARY PERSONNEL PROCUREMENT MANUAL, VOLUME 2, ENLISTED PROCUREMENT.
D. MCO P1100.75D, PERSONNEL PROCUREMENT MILITARY ENTRANCE PROCESSING STATION (MEPS).
E. MCO 1130.80A, PRIOR SERVICE AND RESERVE AUGMENTATION ENLISTMENTS INTO THE REGULAR MARINE CORPS.
F. MCO 1752.5A, SEXUAL ASSAULT PREVENTION AND RESPONSE PROGRAM.
G. MCO P1900.16F, MARINE CORPS SEPARATION AND RETIREMENT MANUAL.
H. NAVMC DIRECTIVE 5040.6H, MARINE CORPS READINESS INSPECTIONS AND ASSESSMENTS.
I. MCO 5530.14A, MARINE CORPS PHYSICAL SECURITY PROGRAM MANUAL.
J. MCO 7220R.38C SELECTED RESERVE INCENTIVE PROGRAM.

7. GUIDANCE CONCERNING NEWS MEDIA COVERAGE OF TRAINING AT LOCAL COMMANDS WILL BE PUBLISHED VIA SEPARATE CORRESPONDENCE SUBSEQUENT TO RECEIPT OF DOD INSTRUCTIONS. UNTIL THEN, FORWARD ANY MEDIA REQUESTS CONCERNING REPEAL IMPLEMENTATION VIA THE LOCAL PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICES TO HQMC PUBLIC AFFAIRS DIVISION.

8. THIS MESSAGE IS APPLICABLE TO THE MARINE CORPS TOTAL FORCE.

MAPping the Movement

MAP (the Movement Advancement Project) is releasing its 2010 National LGBT Movement Report. This report examines revenue and expenses, fundraising and fundraising efficiency, and other indicators of financial health for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) social justice advocacy organizations.

Surprisingly, less than four percent of all LGBT adults in the U.S. donated $35 or more to these LGBT organizations. While organizations are generally effective at retaining smaller donors (those giving $35 or more) year over year, the number of larger donors (those giving $1,000 or more) is dropping and not easily replaced.

The staffs of participating organizations are diverse, roughly mirroring the broader U.S. population: 32 percent identify as people of color (12 percent African American, 12 percent Latino/a, 7 percent Asian/Pacific Islander and 1 percent Native American or other). Also, 46 percent are women and 6 percent identify as transgender.

While movement organizations overall experienced significant declines in revenue in 2009 compared with 2008, their financial health remains strong due to reduced expenses and efficient fundraising. Movement groups are highly efficient in their fundraising and programming operations, with all 39 participants exceeding the efficiency standards of both the American Institute of Philanthropy and the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance. An average of 79 percent of expenses is spent on programs and services, 9 percent on management and general expenses, and only 12 percent on fundraising.

The 2010 National LGBT Movement Report provides a comprehensive snapshot of the financial health of LGBT social justice advocacy organizations. The 39 organizations examined for the 2010 report collectively represent 69% of the budgets of all LGBT social justice advocacy organizations. Among the key findings:

Revenue and Expenses. Organizations are experiencing significant declines in revenue (down 20% from 2008 to 2009), a sign of the combined effects of the economic downturn and decreased giving in an off-election year (2009). Organizations are adjusting to revenue declines by cutting expenses; 2010 budget estimates are down 18% from 2009 to 2010.

Fundraising and Fundraising Efficiency. Organizations are faring relatively well at retaining smaller donors, but are losing larger donors who give $1,000 or more per year. Fewer donors are attending fundraising events and organizations show less income from these events as a result. However, despite recent fundraising challenges, LGBT social justice advocacy organizations continue to be quite efficient in their fundraising, with an average of 79% of expenses being spent on programs and services, 9% on management and general expenses, and only 12% on fundraising.

Other Indicators of Financial Health. Other indicators remain strong. Reduction of expense budgets has helped organizations maintain good average working capital, liquidity ratios, and cash and cash equivalents.

Participating Organizations:
ACLU LGBT & AIDS Project
CenterLink
COLAGE
Council for Global Equality
Empire State Pride Agenda
Equality California
Equality Federation
Equality Forum
Family Equality Council
Freedom to Marry
Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD)
Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD)
Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund and Leadership Institute
Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN)
Gay-Straight Alliance Network
GroundSpark
Human Rights Campaign (HRC)
Immigration Equality & Immigration Equality Action Fund
In the Life Media
Lambda Legal
Log Cabin Republicans & Liberty Education Forum
MassEquality
National Black Justice Coalition
National Center for Lesbian Rights
National Center for Transgender Equality
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
National Youth Advocacy Coalition
New York City Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project
Out & Equal Workplace Advocates
The Palm Center
Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG)
Point Foundation
Servicemembers Legal Defense Network
Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE)
Soulforce
Sylvia Rivera Law Project
Transgender Law Center
The Trevor Project
(One organization wished to remain anonymous)

Face[book]ing LGBT Relationships

Facebook has added "civil union" and "domestic partnership" to its "relationship status" options in user profiles, following an anti-bullying initiative called 'Network of Support' in consultation with LGBT groups that began last October.

GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios said, "Today, Facebook sent a clear message in support of gay and lesbian couples to users across the globe. By acknowledging the relationships of countless loving and committed same-sex couples in the U.S. and abroad, Facebook has set a new standard of inclusion for social media. As public support for marriage equality continues to grow, we will continue to work for the day when all couples have the opportunity to marry and have their relationship recognized by their community, both online and off."

LGBTs in Black History Month

February is Black History Month, which means it's also the month to celebrate black LGBT folks in history. Check out BlackedOUT History:

"LGBTQ Black folks have been major contributors to society and social justice movements for hundreds of years! From the famous scientist George Washington Carver to the legendary blues singer Ma Rainey – LGBTQ Black figures have made long-lasting contributions and have had a significant influence on U.S. culture. It is important for GSAs to celebrate the contributions of Black LGBTQ people and to advocate for the visibility of these important historical figures. Recognizing how interconnected our oppressions are makes our movements stronger.

One way GSA clubs do this is by celebrating Black History Month every February. If your school has no Black History Month celebration, organize with your GSA to start an official commemoration at your school. Work with administration and staff, student groups, and others to ensure the lives of LGBTQ Black historical figures are included in your school’s activities.

Here are some helpful ideas of activities you can do at your school during Black History Month:

Teach Your School!

• Create a PowerPoint presentation highlighting important Black LGBTQ leaders and present it to your classes. Make sure to include leaders that are not as well known. You can do your presentations in ALL of your classes because LGBTQ Black folks have made contributions in EVERY subject including music, literature, art, science, health and more.
• Train your social studies and English teachers on Black LGBTQ authors and historical figures and suggest ways they could incorporate them and their biographies into their lessons.
• Work with your school librarian or administration to make sure there is a Black History display board that includes LGBTQ people, as well as books by important authors like Langston Hughes and Lorraine Hansberry.
• Organize with other student clubs, such as the Black Student Union, to make sure the month’s activities include LGBTQ leaders. To learn more about building successful coalitions, see our resource Coalition Building.
• Invite speakers to your school who can talk about LGBTQ Black history.
• Organize discussions on the current events related to LGBTQ Black folks that demonstrate how homophobia, transphobia, and racism affect their lives today.
• Highlight local LGBTQ Black people who have given back to your community.
• Screen a film like Brother Outsider, which documents the life of Civil Rights leader Bayard Rustin.

Be Creative!

• Organize a poster art campaign or contest featuring LGBTQ Black historical figures. Create a display of pictures and biographies. You can find a list of some of these leaders at our BlackedOUT History page on GSA Network’s website.
• Create an LGBTQ Black History Timeline and display it in your school.
• Use your school’s public announcements to share stories! Play sound clips from legendary blues singers Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith. Read poetry from Audre Lorde and Countee Cullen, or read selections of important speeches by Bayard Rustin.

Use Social Media!

• Highlight important figures via your GSA’s social networking sites like Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter. Make videos, post photos, tweet, and even make a Facebook or Wiki page for your favorite icon.
• Learn about and celebrate the LGBTQ Black art of voguing! Host a workshop, watch videos online as a group, and research the history of this dance art.

Remember that having one month of commemoration of the lives of LGBTQ Black people is just the beginning! Have ongoing conversations with your GSA about why it’s important to acknowledge and celebrate the contributions of LGBTQ people of color to society and to social justice movements and why it’s important to build an anti-racist GSA. For more information, see our resource Building Anti Racist GSAs.

Most of all, have fun learning, teaching and celebrating some of our most important LGBTQ leaders and community members in history!

LGBTQ Black Historical Figures

Name	Date-of-Birth Date-of-Death	Profession	Quote
Alvin Ailey Jr.	Jan. 5, 1931 Dec. 1, 1989	Choreographer	“I am trying to show the world that we are all human beings and that color is not important. What is important is the quality of our work.”
John Amaechi	Nov. 26, 1970	Pro Basketball Player	“I am gay, black, British…and I am now asserting my activism.”
James Baldwin	Aug. 2, 1924 Nov. 30, 1987	Author	"I love America more than any other country in the world and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually."
Josephine Baker	June 3, 1906 Apr. 12, 1975	Singer and Dancer	“Surely the day will come when color means nothing more than the skin tone, when religion is seen uniquely as a way to speak one's soul; when birth places have the weight of a throw of the dice and all men are born free, when understanding breeds love and brotherhood.”
Jean-Michel Basquiat	Dec. 22, 1960 Aug. 12, 1988	Graffiti Artist	"SAMO© as an end to mindwash religion, nowhere politics, and bogus philosophy"
Gladys Bentley	Aug. 12, 1907 Jan. 18, 1960	Blues Singer
Octavia Butler	June 22, 1947 Feb. 26, 2006	Author	"People have the right to call themselves whatever they like. That doesn't bother me. It's other people doing the calling that bothers me."
George Washington Carver	July 12, 1864 Jan. 5, 1943	Scientist	“Where there is no vision, there is no hope.”
RuPaul Andre Charles	Nov. 17, 1960	Actor, Dancer and TV Show Host	“What other people think of me is not my business. What I do is what I do. How people see me doesn’t change what I decide to do. I don’t choose projects so people don’t see me as one thing or another. I choose projects that excite me. I think the problem is that people refuse to understand what drag is outside of their own belief system.”
Countee Cullen	May 30, 1903 Jan. 9, 1946	Poet	“My poetry, I think, has become the way of my giving out what music is within me.”
Lee Daniels	Dec. 24, 1959	Film Director
Angela Davis	Jan. 26, 1944	Civil Rights Activist	“Revolution is a serious thing, the most serious thing about a revolutionary's life. When one commits oneself to the struggle, it must be for a lifetime.”
Ruth Ellis	July 23, 1899 Oct. 5, 2000	Activist	“I never expected I’d be 100 years old. It didn’t even come to my mind.”
Sharon Farmer	June 10, 1951	White House Photographer	“Never turn down a chance to show what you can do.”
Peter Gomes	May 22, 1942	Theologian	“There can be no light without the darkness out of which it shines.”
Mabel Hampton	May 2, 1902 Oct. 26, 1989	Lesbian Pioneer	"I, Mabel Hampton, have been a lesbian all my life, for eighty-two years, and I am proud of myself and my people. I would like all my people to be free in this country and all over the world, my gay people and my black people."
Lorraine Hansberry	May 19, 1930 Jan. 12, 1965	Author and Playwright	“All real and lasting change starts first on the inside and works it way through to the outside. Politically speaking, each person being the change we wish to see in the world is the only stance that can make a lasting difference. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.”
E.Lynn Harris	June 20, 1955 July 23, 2009	Author	“I want people to know they don’t have to live their lives in a permanent ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ existence. Truth is a powerful tool.”
Sherry Harris	Feb. 27, 1965	Politician	“All real and lasting change starts first on the inside and works it way through to the outside. Politically speaking, each person being the change we wish to see in the world is the only stance that can make a lasting difference. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.”
Billie Holiday	Apr. 7, 1915 July 17, 1959	Singer	"A kiss that is never tasted, is forever and ever wasted."
Langston Hughes	Feb. 1, 1902 May 22, 1967	Poet	“Hold fast to dreams, For if dreams die, Life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly, Hold fast to dreams, For if dreams go, Life is a barren field, Frozen with snow."
Zora Neale Hurston	Jan. 7, 1891 Jan. 28, 1960	Author and Folklorist	“Mama exhorted her children at every opportunity to ‘jump at de sun.’ We might not land on the sun, but at least we would get off the ground.”
Bill T. Jones	Feb. 15, 1952	Dancer and Choreographer	"Living and dying is not the big issue. The big issue is what you’re going to do with your time while you are here."
Representative Barbara Jordan (D-Texas)	Feb. 21, 1936 Jan. 17, 1996	Politician	"My faith in the Constitution is whole, it is complete, it is total. I am not going to sit here and be an idle spectator to the diminution, the subversion, the destruction of the Constitution."
Audre Lorde	Feb. 18, 1934 Nov. 17, 1992	Author	“When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.”
Marsha P. Johnson	1945 July 6, 1992	Transgender Activist and co-founder of S.T.A.R.	When asked what the P stood for in her name, she replied "Pay it No Mind."
June Jordan	July 9, 1936 June 14, 2002	Activist, Poet, Teacher	"Bisexuality means I am free and I am as likely to want to love a woman as I am likely to want to love a man, and what about that? Isn't that what freedom implies?"
Miss Major	Unknown	Transgender, Public Health and Prison Activist
Gertrude "Ma" Rainey	Apr. 26, 1886 Dec. 22, 1939	Singer	"Went out last night with a crowd of my friends, They must have been women, 'cause I don't like no men. Wear my clothes just like a fan, Talk to gals just like any old man 'Cause they say I do it, ain't nobody caught me, Sure got to prove it on me."
Bayard Rustin	Mar. 17, 1910 Aug. 24, 1987	Civil Rights Activist	"We are all one. And if we don't know it, we will learn it the hard way."
Bessie Smith	Unknown July 1892 Sept. 26, 1937	Singer	“It's a long old road, but I know I'm gonna find the end.”
Sheryl Swoopes	Mar. 25, 1971	WNBA Player	"No matter how far life pushes you down, no matter how much you hurt, you can always bounce back."
Wanda Sykes	Mar. 7, 1964	Comedian	"If you feel like there's something out there that you're supposed to be doing, if you have a passion for it, then stop wishing and just do it."
André Leon Talley	Oct. 16,1949	Fashion Editor	“It's not about canceling shows, but initiating things on an individual level. When much is given to you, much is expected. If you're an honest American, you can't wake up and not be affected by the neglect of the government after Katrina. You can't be an honest American and not think about it every day.”
Alice Walker	Feb. 9, 1944	Author and Feminist	“The truest and most enduring impulse I have is simply to write.”
Phill Wilson	Apr. 29, 1956	AIDS Activist	"The price of the ticket for life is to leave the world in a different place than you found it, to leave the world a better place than you found it."
Jacqueline Woodson	Feb. 12, 1963	Author	“I think it's important that everyday we think about the work we need to do to make this world a better place. I mean, we should wake up thinking about it and go to bed thinking about tomorrow's tasks. There's an awful lot of change needing to be made around here.”

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Black LGBTQI History Timeline

by In Our Own Words Project

1782: Deborah Sampson disguises herself as a male and enlists in the Continental forces under the name of Robert Shurtleff. Sampson’s gender is discovered when she is hospitalized for wounds suffered in battle near Tarrytown, NY. Some historians believe that Deborah Sampson was African American.

1790: George Middleton, leader of The Bucks of America, an all-black Revolutionary War regiment, and Louis Clapion, a French mulatto hairdresser build and live together in the oldest standing house on Beacon Hill, at 5 Pinckney St.

1860: Edmonia Lewis, African American/Native American sculptor, known for her masculine dress, studies and works in Boston. It was in Boston that she meets the group of feminists and artists, headed by actress Charlotte Cushman, with whom she is to live for several years in Rome.

1880: Angelina Weld Grimke, (often confused with her famous aunt, the white abolitionist Angelina Grimke Weld), is born in Boston into a distinguished biracial family. Grimke becomes a teacher and a poet of the Harlem Renaissance. Her love poems are written to women. “…Oh Mamie, if you only knew how my heart beats when I think of you, and it yearns and pants to gaze– if only for one second– upon your lovely face.”

1920: An artistic movement in New York that becomes known as the Harlem Renaissance...

To see a full timeline, visit In Our Own Words by the Metropolitan Community Churches.

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More Resources!

• More Black LGBTQ Historical Figures courtesy of the University of Delaware.
• More Black LGBTQ Current and Historical Figures courtesy of AOL.
• Black LGBTQ History Timeline.
• Equality Forum also has a website, called The GLBT History Month, which highlights LGBTQ figures.
• Build coalitions in your school.
• Make your GSA an anti-racist GSA.
• Have a visibility campaign at your school.

Photo of Bayard Rustin with School Children: Courtesy of Getty Images

Photo of Bayard Rustin Teaching: Courtesy of Bayard Rustin Film Project"

Valentiny Activism

GetEQUAL and Marriage Equality USA are staging protests across the country to show the inequality in our nation's marriage laws.

"Over the weekend and this afternoon, LGBT activists across the country took action at marriage counters and city halls across the country, drawing attention to the fact that loving couples – some of whom have been together for decades – are still living as second-class citizens without the right to marry."

One of those protests is occurring right here in Asheville, NC.

“Today, we're so proud of all the people taking actions across the country,” said Robin McGehee, director of GetEQUAL. “We're thrilled with how many people across the country have decided that enough is enough, and have committed to organizing in their own communities in order to draw attention to their desire to marry the person they love.”

Molly McKay, media director of Marriage Equality USA, said, “The actions that have taken place across the country are just one more way that we are bringing discrimination out of the shadows and into the light, highlighting the loving relationships that are thriving throughout the country despite government-sanctioned discrimination.”

GetEQUAL will be posting photos and video on its Facebook page throughout the day.

CBS Sports Honors Late Out Pro Hockey Player

Last year we had this blog:

Hockey, Homophobia, and A Father's Love for His Gay Son

This year, CBS featured a retrospective on this aforementioned gay son, who was an out pro hockey player when he died.

From www.towleroad.com

In a touching CBS Sports segment, Miami University hockey players and coaches remember Brendan Burke, who made international news with his coming out story, and died a year ago in an apparently weather-related car accident in Indiana.

83% of Kentuckians Support Fairness for LGBT Families!

From the Kentucky Fairness Alliance

Today, the Kentucky Fairness Alliance is pleased to announce that a statewide survey commissioned by the Fairness Coalition shows that Kentuckians continue to believe that everyone should be afforded the opportunity to earn a living, put a roof over their heads, and have dinner at their favorite restaurant without being turned away just because someone doesn’t like who they are.

83% of registered Kentucky voters agree that gay and transgender people should be protected from discrimination in the workplace, in housing, and in restaurants or other forms of public accommodations.

Public opinion has come a long way since the last available data in 2004, when only 65% of voters supported these same non-discrimination protections. And while providing the same legal protections for gay couples as straight couples lags in the polls – currently 70% support compared to 63% in 2004 – Kentuckians believe in fairness for hardworking gay and transgender employees who simply want to earn a living and provide for their families, just like everybody else.

Read the survey results (including Congressional district breakdowns) here.

Transnational: Passport Sex Marker Changes

State Department Issues Amended Policy Guidelines on Passport Sex Marker Changes (from TLDEF)

In response to concerns raised by TLDEF and other organizations and individuals, the U.S. State Department today published amended policy guidelines for changing the sex marker on passports.

Among other things, the new policy guidelines:

• allow you to submit a doctor's letter from any licensed doctor, eliminating the burdensome physician specialty requirements;

• allow you to submit a letter from a doctor who has either treated you for "gender-related care" or who has reviewed and evaluated your "gender-related medical history"; and

• allow passport holders to change their passport's sex marker by presenting an updated birth certificate instead of a doctor's letter.

We've only described a few of the highlights of the new guidelines here, but there's much more. Please read our comprehensive web-based guide to the updated policy. We are also available to answer any questions that you may have. If you need additional assistance, please contact us.

We are pleased to bring you this news and will continue to update you on any additional changes to these State Department policies and procedures.

By The Numbers: LGBT Stats in Early 2011

Crossposted information from Gideon Alper's incredible blog on gay legal issues.

Gay Marriage Facts

States where gay marriage is legal:

• Massachusetts (2004)
• Connecticut (2008)
• Iowa (2009)
• Vermont (2009)
• New Hampshire (2010)
• Washington, D.C. (2010) (not a state)

States That Recognize Out-of-State Gay Marriages:

• New York
• California (only if the marriage is from before Proposition 8 was passed)

Gay Marriage Support

Should gays an lesbians be allowed to marry?

• 43% say yes.
• 47% say no.
• 10% are unsure.

Source: Pew Research Center.

Gays in the Military:

Should those who do not disclose their orientation be allowed to serve?

• 83% support it.
• 14% do not.
• 3% unsure

Should those who do disclose their orientation be allowed to serve?

• 17% say yes.
• 21% say no.
• 2% are unsure.

Source: The Polling Report.

Demographics

The 2000 census did not count gay marriages directly, so the following are estimates based on how people reported their household. It counts households with 2 members of the same sex that are unrelated. 2010 census information on gay couples has not yet been compiled.

• Total Number of Gay Couples: 594,391
• Number of People in a Couple: 1.2 Million
• State With the Most Couples: California (92,138)
• State With the Least Couples: North Dakota (703)
• Highest Concentration of Gay Couple (% of all couples): Washington, D.C. (1.29%)
• Lowest Concentration of Gay Couples (% of all couples): North and South Dakota (.22%)

Gay people make up 1-4% of the population in most cities, but are more concentrated in metropolitan areas.

Most Same Sex Couples by City:

1. New York, NY: 47,000
2. Los Angeles, CA: 12,000
3. Chicago, IL: 10,000

Source: 2000 Census.

Highest LGBT Concentration by Major Metropolitan City

1. San Francisco, CA: 15.4%
2. Seattle, WA: 12.9%
3. Atlanta, GA: 12.8%

Source: 2000 Census.

LGBTs in the House! HUD Proposes Rule To Ensure Equal Access

While Equality NC can claim direct influence on the federal inclusive hospital visitation policy that went into effect, this new -- and welcome, and long overdue! -- proposed policy comes wholly from the current administration:


HUD No. 11-006
Brian Sullivan
(202) 708-0685
FOR RELEASE Thursday, January 20, 2011

HUD PROPOSES NEW RULE TO ENSURE EQUAL ACCESS TO HOUSING
REGARDLESS OF SEXUAL ORIENTATION OR GENDER IDENTITY

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today proposed new regulations intended to ensure that its core housing programs are open to all eligible persons, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. View the proposed rule announced today.

“This is a fundamental issue of fairness,” said HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan. “We have a responsibility to make certain that public programs are open to all Americans. With this proposed rule, we will make clear that a person’s eligibility for federal housing programs is, and should be, based on their need and not on their sexual orientation or gender identity.”

HUD is seeking public comment on a number of proposed areas including:

• Prohibiting lenders from using sexual orientation or gender identity as a basis to determine a borrower’s eligibility for FHA-insured mortgage financing. FHA’s current regulations provide that a mortgage lender’s determination of the adequacy of a borrower’s income “shall be made in a uniform manner without regard to” specified prohibited grounds. The proposed rule would add actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity to the prohibited grounds to ensure FHA-approved lenders do not deny or otherwise alter the terms of mortgages on the basis of irrelevant criteria.
  
• Clarifying that all otherwise eligible families, regardless of marital status, sexual orientation, or gender identity, have the opportunity to participate in HUD programs. In the majority of HUD’s rental and homeownership programs the term “family” already has a broad scope, and includes a single person and families with or without children. HUD’s proposed rule clarifies that families, otherwise eligible for HUD programs, may not be excluded because one or more members of the family may be an LGBT individual, have an LGBT relationship, or be perceived to be such an individual or in such relationship.
  
• Prohibiting owners and operators of HUD-assisted housing, or housing whose financing is insured by HUD, from inquiring about the sexual orientation or gender identity of an applicant for, or occupant of, the dwelling, whether renter- or owner-occupied. HUD is proposing to institute this policy in its rental assistance and homeownership programs, which include the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) mortgage insurance programs, community development programs, and public and assisted housing programs.

Other actions:

HUD is conducting the first-ever national study of discrimination against members of the LGBT community in the rental and sale of housing. Every ten years, HUD does a study of the impact of housing discrimination on the basis of race and color. HUD undertook this important research in 1977, 1989 and 2000 and is currently undertaking this study again. It is believed that LGBT individuals and families may remain silent because in many local jurisdictions, they may have little or no legal recourse. While there are no national assessments of LGBT housing discrimination, there are state and local studies that have shown evidence of this sort of bias. For example, a 2007 report by Michigan’s Fair Housing Centers found that nearly 30 percent of same-sex couples were treated differently when attempting to buy or rent a home.

HUD currently requires its recipients of discretionary funds to comply with local and state non-discrimination laws that cover sexual orientation or gender identity. In July, the Department issued new guidance that treats discrimination based on gender nonconformity or sex stereotyping as sex discrimination under the Fair Housing Act, and instructs HUD staff to inform individuals filing complaints about state and local agencies that have LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination laws.

The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in rental, sales and lending on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability and familial status. Approximately 20 states, and the District of Columbia, and more than 150 cities, towns and counties across the nation have additional protections that specifically prohibit such discrimination against LGBT individuals. Under guidance announced last year, HUD will, as appropriate, retain its jurisdiction over complaints filed by LGBT individuals or families but also jointly investigate or refer matters to those state, district and local governments with other legal protections.

View the proposed rule announced today.

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LGBT Horror and Heroism in Arizona

Daniel Hernandez is shown with Giffords in this image from his Facebook page.

Everyone has heard of the attempted assassination this past Saturday of democratic Arizona Representative Gabrielle Giffords, who survived though is seriously injured.

Not everyone necessarily knows about the LGBT connections to this story, though.

Rep. Giffords was a strong LGBT-positive official. The Human Rights Campaign gave Giffords an 81 percent pro-LGBT rating on its congressional scorecard for the 110th Congress. She supported repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and supports a trans-inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

HRC said, “We are shocked and saddened by the events involving Congresswoman Giffords and our hearts go out to her and the other victims of this awful tragedy. Gabby Giffords is a champion for LGBT equality and a principled leader for Arizona.”

Here's her support record:

1)	Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act (H.R. 1913):
2)	Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act Motion to Recommit (H.R. 1913):
3)	Murphy Amendment to National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 5136):
4)	Souder Amendment to the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (H.R. 3293):
5)	Employment Non-Discrimination Act (H.R. 3017) (Co-Sponsorship):
6)	Tax Equity for Health Plan Beneficiaries Act (H.R. 2625) (Co-Sponsorship):
7)	Respect for Marriage Act (H.R. 3567) (Co-Sponsorship):
8)	Uniting American Families Act (H.R. 1024) (Co-Sponsorship):
9)	Early Treatment for HIV Act (H.R. 1616) (Co-Sponsorship):

The second gay connection is Daniel Hernandez Jr., a 20-year-old University of Arizona student who’d been working as an intern for Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (for five days), who is credited with saving her life after she was shot on Saturday.

HE is openly gay and serves as a Commissioner on the Tucson Commission on Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues.

According to the Arizona Republic, Hernandez was standing about 30 feet from Giffords during the “Congress on Your Corner” event outside a Safeway store near Tucson. When the gunshots began, Hernandez ran toward them and began checking the pulses of people who’d been hit. When Hernandez got to Giffords, he used his hand to apply pressure to the entry wound on her forehead. He pulled her into his lap and held her upright so she wouldn’t choke on her blood.

Hernandez used his hand to apply pressure to the wound until someone brought clean smocks from the meat department of the grocery store. He stayed with Giffords until paramedics arrived, then climbed into an ambulance with her.

Official records of events tend to downplay sexual orientation, but even when done for the best of reasons (e.g., to protect someone's privacy or because it shouldn't matter) it creates a kind of historical closet. It's important for everyone to be aware of how gay people and allies who support equality for gay folk are involved in the ordinary and tragic events of life.

2011 Is So Gay!

Every year, there are a variety of events, activities, and observances that are relevant to the LGBT community. It's difficult to get a comprehensive list, but here is a good start on upcoming days of observance to be aware of.

Truly, 2011 is so gay. As is every year!

Please feel free to leave a comment on other LGBT day or observance/holidays (holigays :) ) that you think should be added.

January

February

• National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day - Feb 7
• Feb 15 - TENTATIVE SAVE THE DATE! Equality NC Day Of Action in Raleigh (lobby day)
  

March

• National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day - Mar 10

April

• TransAction Day - Apr 8 in 2010
• Day of Silence - Apr 16

May

• National Foster Care Month - May
• The International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO) - May 17
• Harvey Milk Day - May 22

June

• LGBT Pride Month - Jun
• Gay Days at Walt Disney World: the first week in Jun
• National HIV/AIDS Testing Day - Jun 27
• Stonewall Anniversary - Jun 30

July

August

September

• Celebrate Bisexuality Day - Sep 23
• National Gay Men's HIV/AIDS Awareness Day - Sep 27
• NC Pride - around last weekend in Sep
  

October

• GLBT History Month - Oct
• National Coming Out Day - Oct 11
• Ally Week - around Oct 18-22

November

• National Adoption Awareness Month - Nov
• Equality NC Equality Conference & Gala - mid Nov (date, location pending)
  
• National Adoption Day is celebrated the Saturday before Thanksgiving
• National Transgender Day of Remembrance - Nov 20

December

• World AIDS Day - Dec 1

Happy Holidays, and Here's To 2011!

Equality NC wishes you and yours all the best during the holiday season, and we look forward to working with you in 2011!

ACT NOW! Stop Anti-Gay Art Censorship at the Smithsonian

From GLAAD

CALL TO ACTION:

Tell The Board of the Smithsonian That Anti-LGBT Bias Has No Place in America's Museum

We at GLAAD are adding our voices to the chorus of others who have strongly and rightfully criticized the Smithsonian's decision to hide a piece of LGBT-themed artwork from the public.

Most of us know the story by now. Following a brief series of high profile, far-right attacks-- and despite having not received a single complaint from the public-- the Smithsonian Museum pulled the piece "A Fire in My Belly" from an exhibition titled Hide/Seek at the National Portrait Gallery a few weeks ago.

The work in question is a 10-second video that shows ants crawling on a cross. The work is meant to illustrate the suffering of an AIDS victim in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The artist of the piece is David Wojnarowicz, who died of AIDS-related complications in 1992, at the age of 37.

This piece was considered important and valuable to the Hide/Seek collection when it was curated and when it opened in October. What changed on November 30, when the piece was taken out of the display? Whose voices did the board of the Smithsonian place above its own professional judgment?

As it happens, they were listening to people like Bill Donohue, Glenn Beck and John Boehner, who were once again using gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people for social division – and of course, fundraising. These are the same people who have been fighting tooth and nail against employment protections for LGBT people. These are the same people who didn't want the LGBT community added to hate crimes protections. These are the same people who are trying to keep the men and women of our military in the closet - and now they're throwing works of art in there with them.

Anti-gay activists and politicians are now setting their sights on the entire LGBT exhibit and the Smithsonian itself. Opponents of the Hide/Seek exhibit have since also shared their disgust at images in the exhibit that feature men kissing.

Throughout the course of history, art has served to provoke thought and challenge opinion. This work is a powerful statement about a critical period in the history of America's LGBT community, which should not be hidden from public view because of the grandstanding of a few disingenuous critics and politicians.

Several weeks ago, GLAAD placed an op-ed in the Washington Post by a faculty member of Yale's Divinity School who said, "The truly blasphemous abomination is the church's initial reluctance, even refusal to care for, speak out about, and show dignity to literal bodies of real people with HIV/AIDS." Patrick Evans wrote, "The religious and political leaders who used World AIDS Day in this holy season of Advent to cultivate political power and raise money by focusing on 11 seconds of an artistic work by a man who died of AIDS in 1992 would do well to remember the clear and unequivocal words of the savior whose wounds they are so quick to save from crawling insects."

But we all need to do more and raise our voices even louder. Tell the Smithsonian that anti-LGBT bias and political opportunism have no business in our treasured institutions.

Thank you for your time -- together, we can make a real difference.

"Supportive Families, Healthy Children" - Free Booklet!

Last month, the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing featured an article "Family Acceptance in Adolescence and the Health of LGBT Young Adults." This study determined that positive and accepting family attitudes and behaviors towards LGBT children significantly increase their overall health in adulthood.

(Not exactly a newsflash, but it does provide solid, peer-reviewed data to support a bit of common-sense that many people still don't get. It's still not an uncommon event for kids to be completely rejected by homophobic parents. It's a cliche, but it's also an ongoing tragedy.)

The study shows that specific parental and caregiver behaviors, e.g., advocating for children when they are mistreated for being gay or supporting their gender expression, protect against depression, substance abuse, suicidal thoughts, and suicide attempts in early adulthood. In addition, LGBT youth with highly accepting families have significantly higher levels of self-esteem and social support in young adulthood.

Findings include:

• Family accepting behaviors towards LGBT youth during adolescence protect against suicide, depression, and substance abuse.
• LGBT young adults who reported high levels of family acceptance during adolescence had significantly higher levels of self-esteem, social support, and general health, compared to peers with low levels of family acceptance.
• LGBT young adults who reported low levels of family acceptance during adolescence were over three times more likely to have suicidal thoughts and to report suicide attempts, compared to those with high levels of family acceptance.
• High religious involvement in families was strongly associated with low acceptance of LGBT children.

Results of the research are being translated into practical tools for parents by the study's author, Dr. Caitlin Ryan, and her team at the Family Acceptance Project in collaboration with Child and Adolescent Services at the University of California, San Francisco, with funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

They use a behavioral approach to help ethnically and religiously diverse families decrease rejection and increase support for their LGBT children to reduce risk for suicide, depression, substance abuse, and HIV, to promote well-being, and to prevent homelessness and placement in custodial care. This work is being conducted in English, Spanish, and Chinese with families from all ethnic backgrounds, including immigrant and very low income families, and those whose children are out-of-home in foster care and juvenile justice facilities.

To download a copy of their booklet, just go here and enter your e-mail address and zip code (which they'll use to track where their materials are used and ask for any feedback on the booklet):
"Supportive Families, Healthy Children."

LGB Teens Bullied More ... By Schools, Police, and Courts

You know that LGBT teens are more likely to be the victims of bullying in schools, but did you know that they are more likely to be bullied by schools, as well as by police and courts? (Note: The specific data only documents LGB kids, but it's reasonable to extend the findings to T folks, too.)

It's true! And this information comes from a couple of highly credible sources: The data is from a Yale University study published in the January 2011 issue of the journal Pediatrics. from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

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Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Teens Singled Out for Punishment

Lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) adolescents are about 40 percent more likely than other teens to be punished by school authorities, police and the courts, according to a study by Yale University researchers. Published in the January 2011 issue of the journal Pediatrics, the study is the first to document excessive punishment of LGB youth nationwide.

“We found that virtually all types of punishment—including school expulsions, arrests, juvenile convictions, adult convictions and especially police stops—were more frequently meted out to LGB youth,” said lead author Kathryn Himmelstein, who initiated the study while she was a Yale undergraduate. The research was supervised by Hannah Brueckner, professor of sociology and co-director of the Center for Research on Inequalities and the Life Course at Yale.

The study was based on the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) and included about 15,000 middle and high school students who were followed for seven years into early adulthood. The study collected details on participants’ sexuality, including feelings of sexual attraction, sexual relationships and self-labeling as LGB. Add Health also surveyed participants about how frequently they engaged in a variety of misbehaviors, ranging in severity from lying to parents, to using a weapon. Add Health included detailed questions about school expulsions and contacts with the criminal justice system.

Himmelstein, who now teaches math at a public high school in New York City, said that adolescents who identified themselves as LGB were about 50 percent more likely to be stopped by police than other teenagers. Teens who reported feelings of attraction to members of the same sex, regardless of their self-identification, were more likely than other teens to be expelled from school or convicted of crimes as adults.

“Girls who labeled themselves as lesbian or bisexual were especially at risk for unequal treatment,” said Himmelstein. “They reported experiencing twice as many police stops, arrests and convictions as other girls who had engaged in similar behavior. Although we did not explore the experiences of transgender youth, anecdotal reports suggest that they are similarly at risk for excessive punishment.”

The study showed that these disparities in punishments are not explained by differences in the rates of misbehavior. In fact, the study showed that adolescents who identified themselves as LGB actually engaged in less violence than their peers.

“The painful, even lethal bullying that LGB youth suffer at the hands of their peers has been highlighted by recent tragic events,” Himmelstein notes. “Our numbers suggest that school officials, police and judges, who should be protecting LGB youth, are instead singling them out for punishment based on their sexual orientation. LGB teens can’t thrive if adults single them out for punishment because of their sexual orientation.”

Brueckner added, “The study provides the first and only national estimates for over-representation of LGB youth in the criminal justice system. We simply did not have any good numbers on this before. We need more research on the processes that lead to this to help us identify ways to make our institutions more equitable with respect to policing all youth, regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation.”

Citation: Pediatrics Vol. 127, 1 (January 1, 2011)

— By Karen N. Peart

PRESS CONTACT: Karen N. Peart 203-432-1326

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