Take Action Now for Immigration Equality!

Congress is currently working on a comprehensive immigration reform bill. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announced that he will finish the bill by Labor Day, and it is critically important that lawmakers hear about the need to include LGBT families in the legislation.

More than 36,000 lesbian and gay families are impacted every day by discriminatory immigration policies. Many families are forced to leave the United States or be split apart because U.S. immigration law does not allow lesbian and gay Americans to sponsor their partners and children for residency. For each of those families, the clock is ticking.

Read more about those families in a recent feature article in The Advocate.

By speaking out now, you will help ensure a critical victory for LGBT loved ones, their families, and equality. By supporting truly comprehensive immigration reform, we can be part of a historic effort that creates justice and fairness for millions of families.

We urge you to take action now, and we encourage you to share this with your friends and family. Follow both of these two links - nothing succeeds like excess:

• Take action through Immigration Equality
• Take action through PFLAG

This is a quick, easy way you can make a difference for all families, including our families.

Equality in the News August 21st – 28th

By ENC intern, Harmony

As many of you know, longtime ally Senator Edward Kennedy died this past Tuesday. Bay Windows has gathered notes from leading community members – local and national – on the former Senator and his work. You can read them here.

Para leer sobre el senador en español, fíjese en SentidoG.

In the State …

Q-notes reports on the merger of two LGBT publications – OnQ Network, based in Myrtle Beach, S.C, and Stereotypd, sourced in Asheville. More specifics here.

Lee Sartain, 28, is running for Raleigh City Council. “His friends call him an ‘ideas machine,’ flexible enough to adapt them to be politically realistic. He speaks his mind, says Trey Davis, a Duke University graduate and fellow wonk who works for the Urban Land Institute in Washington, D.C., ‘but he's Southern enough to know how to put a little sugar on it, too.’” If elected, Sartain will become Raleigh’s first openly gay city council member. Read more online.

Greensboro’s News & Record asks if it’s okay to be gay in Guilford County. Check out the mixed responses here.

Wilmington protesters, inspired by the beating of two men perceived to be gay earlier this summer, call for greater legal protection from hate crimes. Read more from WHQR.

Q-notes also reports on the protest.

Q-notes shares the anti-LGBT history of former Chief Justice of the N.C. Supreme Court Henry E. Frye, Jr. Chief Justice Frye was recently honored by the state Democratic party, which renamed the Sanford-Hunt dinner the “Sanford-Hunt-Frye” dinner.

Q-notes interviews two of the military veterans, both discharged under DADT, who spoke in Charlotte as part of the joint Human Rights Campaign and Servicemembers United speaking tour, Voices of Honor.

Home improvement store Lowe’s is set to pay 1.7 million dollars in a sexual harassment settlement to two men harassed for being perceived as gay, and one woman sexually harassed by her supervisor at the Lowe’s in Mooresville, N.C. The chain has also agreed to review its policies on anti-harassment training, and issuing complaints. Follow this link for details.

This year’s N.C. Literary Festival will be held Sept 10-13 at UNC Chapel Hill, and will include a segment called “Writing Gay” in which authors discuss the complexities of writing gay characters and the issues they face. Read more about what’s coming here.

In the Nation

The Gay and Lesbian Times reports on the recent Lutheran vote to accept Gay and Lesbian clergy in committed homosexual relationships and the various reactions from Lutherans and Christians of other denominations.

A more optimistic, less schism-searching perspective on the Lutheran decision comes from a blogger on Progressive Revival.

Advocate.com shows there is no real timeline on the repeal of DADT, either from the White House or the Pentagon. Read more here.

Congressman Alcee Hastings wrote to the President yesterday, calling for a repeal of DADT and promising to keep pushing until he sees results. Read his bold letter at pinknews.

“According to the Associated Press, U.S. district judge David O. Carter ruled that the first of several challenges to the Defense of Marriage Act was improperly filed in a state court before it was advanced to federal courts.” Thankfully, attorney for the plaintiffs Richard Gilbert says he does plan to resubmit the case. Read more about the rejection of Smelt v. United States from the Advocate.

Philadelphia Gay News also has the story.

For a detailed update on the ENDA bill and its commitment to protecting gender identity as well as sexual orientation, check out the Associated Press.

Out in the World

The Uruguayan Chamber of Representatives voted yesterday to allow gay and lesbian couples to adopt. If this bill passes the senate, Uruguay, which already allows same-sex civil unions and gay and lesbian service-people in the military, will become the first country in Latin America to have such a law.

SentidoG reconoce “un ejemplo de lucha contra la homofobia en una escuela argentina.” Lea más aquí.

That’s all for this week, and the last of my blogs for Equality NC – I’m off to Spain this Tuesday! Thanks for reading – I hope it was helpful!

Attending a Health Care Town Hall with the President

With all the talk of town hall meetings on heath care recently, we asked ENC intern and volunteer Hillary Waugh to share her experience when the President held on in Raleigh a few weeks ago.

On Wednesday, July 29 President Barack Obama came to Raleigh for a town hall meeting on healthcare. While this took place before the heated town hall meetings that have occurred in the past few weeks, the event was nonetheless exciting, informative, and inspirational. In Needham Broughton High School’s gymnasium, which was standing room only, the president talked about and answered questions about the state of the economy and the proposed healthcare reform. In an overwhelmingly supportive crowd, President Obama received thunderous applause and standing ovations throughout his hour-long talk.

Although not everyone in attendance was in support of the proposed changes to health care, many were able to ask questions of the president and hopefully feel that their concerns were being taken into consideration. In such a large nation, it is easy to feel disconnected from the political process, and this event served as a wonderful opportunity for people to feel much closer to the decisions that are being made in Washington.

Hearing the president speak in person was a truly amazing experience. He is an incredibly powerful orator who also has the ability to break down topics that are confusing to many people into clear, concise language. The entire event served as a wonderful reminder of how capable a person we have leading our nation.

It is also wonderful that the White House provided Equality North Carolina with tickets to the town hall. That is such a huge compliment to ENC and a demonstration of how work being done by state-wide organizations is being noticed at much higher levels. The president’s town hall was also a striking example of how important it is for our elected officials to connect with constituents state-by-state and explain policies and changes that will undoubtedly impact all Americans.

Evangeical Lutherans (ELCA) Say Gay is OK

Last week, on Friday, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) voted not only to allow churches to develop ceremonies to “recognize, support and hold publicly accountable lifelong, monogamous, same gender relationships,” but they also decided to allow openly gay clergy in committed relationships to serve within the church (striking down a requirement of celibacy for gay clergy).

Earlier in the week, a majority in the church voted to approve a social statement on human sexuality to acknowledge without judgment the wide variety of views within the ELCA regarding lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender inclusion.

(That's kind of a sop to homophobic, conservative views, but it's still a big step forward. By working to keep conservative parishioners within the church, you provide them with more exposure to gay people so they can see we're just like them. Experience and education, not isolation and ghettoization, are the only cures for ignorance.)

All of this is huge news. The ELCA has almost 4.8 million members and is the seventh largest Christian church in the country. This decision came after almost a decade of study.

Following the ground-breaking work of the Episcopal church, you can see the beginning of a seismic shift in how mainstream religion regards gay folks. This is the largest church to date to take a gay-positive stance.

My partner was Lutheran for many, many years, and when we moved to Wake Forest, we tried to find a Lutheran church to call home. Unfortunately, we weren't able to find one that was a fit for our openly gay family and ended up going Episcopalian.

I'm thrilled, though, that LGBT Lutherans will no longer have to choose between their sexuality and spirituality. Churches are notoriously conservative institutions, but it's always affirming to see when their commitment to humanity and divinity move them forward towards inclusion and support of all.

Equality in the News August 14th – 21st

In the State

Support from the Bull City

This past Monday, the Durham City Council unanimously passed a resolution in support of same-sex marriage. While it has no legal power, the resolution sends a positive message of community support!

The vote is covered in The Advocate, and locally in the News & Observer.

Durham Blogger Pam Spaulding attended the meeting, and shares a more detailed account here.

However, Q-notes reminds us that while three such resolutions have passed in the Triangle, many more anti-LGBT resolutions have passed in cities around the state just this year.

Court Rules that Second Parents are...Parents!

The News & Observer reports that the N.C. court ruling to uphold Sen. Julia Boseman’s parental rights over her and her former partner’s child may help bolster future gay adoptions. Judge Wanda Bryant concluded that "While [the adoption law] does not specifically address same-sex adoptions, these statutes do make clear that a wide range of adoptions are contemplated and permitted, so long as they protect the minor's 'needs, interests, and rights.'" (Btw, you can read Shawn’s blog post for more info!)

Q-notes offers a more compact version of the story.

http://www.q-notes.com/3339/court-upholds-adoption-by-lesbian-nc-senator/

In the Nation …

Clinton and those Acronyms Starting with Ds

One of the best-covered stories in LGBT news this week is former president Bill Clinton’s keynote address at Netroots Nation, in which he explained his reasoning behind the passing of DADT and DOMA.

Hannah Clay Wareham from Bay Windows acknowledges Clinton’s apparent regret, but feels he also blamed the LGBT community for these policies, claiming that they failed to deliver him support in congress.

Lisa Keen of the Bay Area Reporter also takes Clinton to task in her piece, completely debunking his excuses for DOMA and DADT.

Ryan Witt of the Charlotte Examiner takes a more balanced approach, empathizing with both sides. He also included the video of Clinton’s speech on the page, so you can decide for yourself!

The Obama Administration's Take on DOMA

In other big news, the Justice Department stated that the Obama administration affirms that DOMA “is discriminatory, and supports its repeal.” Finally! While not drastic action, the small gesture of support, according to Matt Coles of the American Civil Liberties Union--as quoted in The Economist, is “a promising sign.”

The Associated Press offers more detail on the action.

The Human Rights campaign has its own response to the administration’s action – “Tell Congress how DOMA affects you!” You can share your story here.

And a Little of Everything Else...

Campus Pride warns that the criteria used to determine the Princeton Review’s Top 20 "Gay Community Accepted" list is insufficient and potentially misleading to LGBT students. They also take issue with the Review’s use of the outdated term “alternative lifestyle.” Campus Pride offers their own list of LGBT-friendly colleges and universities in their Campus Climate Index.

The New York Times reports that the Lutheran Church is considering lifting the ban on non-celibate gay and lesbian pastors. The vote might happen today!

The first legal challenge to Prop 8 was set this past Wednesday for January 11^th of next year! Read more from the Christian Science Monitor.

Out in the World

The Human Rights Watch will release a report Monday that urges the Iraqi government to do more to protect gay men, many whom they say have been killed and tortured by militiamen in recent months. Read more from the Washington Post.

Sanjeev Bery, in the Huffington Post, denounces the lack of coverage of Pakistan’s progress on transgender rights in the Western media.

That’s all for this week!

Victory for Gay Families in NC on Second-Parent Adoption!

The NC Court of Appeals ruled yesterday that a second-parent adoption by the state’s only openly gay legislator, Sen. Julia Boseman (D-New Hanover) of her former partner's six-year-old child, Melissa Jarrell, is valid. Jarrell had sought to void Boseman’s parental rights.

(Julia Boseman, pictured, was a champion in ENC's recent successful battles for the School Violence Prevention Act and the Healthy Youth Act.)

This is a huge and wonderful victory for gay families in the state. Up until now, second-parent adoptions by gay folks in the state have been in a kind of legal limbo, neither valid nor invalid. Now, they've been validated.

A three-judge panel of the court unanimously agreed that Boseman's adoption of Melissa Jarrell's child cannot be undone. State law creates a huge hurdle for reversing adoptions, and Jarrell had challenged whether state law even allowed gay parents to adopt.

And the state - thank goodness! - basically said it does. (Actually, they apophased it, saying they weren't saying gay adoption was valid but not countering the idea either.)

Judge Wanda Bryant wrote in the opinion that while state law "does not specifically address same-sex adoptions, these statutes do make clear that a wide range of adoptions are contemplated and permitted, so long as they protect the minor’s 'needs, interests, and rights,'"

Bryant wrote that the court would have reached the same conclusion if the couple in question were heterosexual.

So far second-parent adoptions in the state have only been occurring in Orange and Durham Counties, but hopefully this ruling will clear the way for more.

It's all about the children. This ruling, and the ability of both gay parents to adopt their children, protects the kids and ensures that the children wil have the protection of two parents.

Strengthening families - especially our families - helps all of us.

APA Repudiates Reparative Therapy ... Finally!

A couple of weeks ago, the American Psychological Association officially announced that mental health professionals should not tell gay clients they can become straight through therapy or other treatments. These are mainstays of the antigay industry, which tries to treat sexual orientation as a choice or a sickness.

Now, this is certainly great news and a worthwhile announcement. However, what took them so long? I mean, it was decades ago, back in 1973, when they declared that being gay wasn't a mental disorder. How come it took them so much longer to acknowledge the damage so-called reparative therapy does to people?

I remember almost 10 years ago when I was diagnosed with stomach cancer, I was chatting with my gastronenterologist, and we ended up talking about current celebrities who were in the news for having affairs. One of them was gay - I don't remember who it was - but the first thing my doctor said was "He should get reparative therapy so he could have a normal relationship with a woman and not cheat on guys."

Now, she knew I was gay and in a relationship. There we were talking about having my stomach surgically removed, and she just casually mentions that a gay guy needs therapy to become straight.

In fairness to her, her comment was a knee-jerk reaction, and she had no actual issues with gay folks. She was simply parroting something she'd heard, out of ignorance. When the situation was turned around - "That straight guy needs therapy so he can be a in a normal relationship with another guy and not cheat on girls" - she immediately realized her faux pas.

Even now, though, years later, I remember the shock and discomfort I felt at her statement. When you're seeing a doctor, you're already feeling vulnerable and unwell, and there's an immediate power-differential between you and this authority figure.

I cannot imagine how I'd feel if that doctor were telling me I needed treatment to change something so basic with myself as who I was attracted to. It was bad enough to catch it as an indirect, offhand comment. How devastating to have it be a direct attack on your sexual identity.

Not only did the APA refute, nearly unanimously, reparative therapy, but they also urged therapists to advise clients whose sexual orientation and religious faith conflicted
to consider multiple alternative options, ranging from celibacy to switching churches.

Their declaration is a great thing without question. Hopefully future advances for equality will be more timely (and more strongly worded would be nice, too).