LGBT U.S. Immigration Event

While Congress debates legislation to reform our broken immigration system it's imperative that safeguards for vulnerable groups like LGBT immigrants are considered. The Center for American Progress is having a special event entitled “Dignity Denied: LGBT Immigrants in U.S. Immigration Detention” on Wednesday Nov. 25th from Noon to 1:30P at 1333 H St. NW, 10th Floor in Washington, D.C. Experts, stakeholders & members of the LGBT community will discuss the dangers that LGBT immigrants face in our current immigrant detention system including what has been done so far & ways to improve the system going forward. A new report on the topic will also be released. There will be a personal reflection by Krypcia a transgender asylum seeker who was kept in solitary confinement. Feature speakers will also include, Olga Tomchin, Soros Fellow, Transgender Law Center, Royce Murray, Policy Director, National Immigrant Justice Center & Christina Fialho, Co-Founder/ Executive Director, Community Initiatives for Visiting Immigrants in Confinement. The event will be moderated by Sharita Gruberg, Policy Analyst, LGBT Immigration Project at the Center for American Progress. The Department of Homeland Security detains on average, 34,000 people each day in immigration detention facilities. These facilities are treacherous environments for LGBT immigrants who are vulnerable to abuse & mistreatment due to their sexual orientation or gender identity. Reports of abuse from attorneys & complaints against Immigration & Customs Enforcement revealed through Freedom of Information Act requests paint a picture of the dangers LGBT immigrants face in ICE custody. In response to these problems, ICE has taken numerous steps to address the particular needs & vulnerabilities of LGBT immigrants, but more reforms are needed. Space is extremely limited. RSVP required. A light lunch will be served at 11:30A.
To RSVP & INFO: americanprogress.org 
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Trans Day of Remembrance 2013

November 20th marks the 15th annual Transgender Day of Remembrance when people from all across the globe pause to remember those who have lost their lives to anti-transgender violence. Transgender women particularly transgender women of color are disproportionately subjected to hate violence. According to the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs 44% of all LGBT murder victims in 2010 were transgender women. Actress Laverne Cox who stars in “Orange is the New Black” stated, “When we celebrate Transgender Day of Remembrance today, as we mourn I want to charge each & every one of you to find ways you can resist & raise awareness in your own lives to make the lives of trans people better & to create more gender self-determination & gender freedom for yourselves.” Cox is the first trans woman of color to have a leading role on a mainstream scripted TV show. Transgender Day of Remembrance marks the end of Transgender Awareness Week, a national campaign to raise visibility & awareness of transgender people & issues, which began November 12th. Transgender Day of Remembrance was founded in 1998 by graphic designer, columnist & activist Gwendolyn Ann Smith, a trans woman to memorialize the murder of Rita Hester in Allston, Massachusetts. Since its inception it has been held annually on Nov. 20th & has evolved from the web-based project started by Smith into an international day of action.
For More Info: masstpc.org 
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Anti Gay Uganda Protest In UK

Gay activists & allies rallied outside the Ugandan High Commission in London Monday to protest against “Uganda’s witch-hunts & show trials of LGBT people.” The protest was timed to coincide with two high profile gay court cases that took place in Uganda involving Sam Ganafa & Bernard Randall. Ugandan gay rights leader Samuel K Ganafa appeared in court at Nabweru Monday over allegedly trumped up accusations of sodomy & infecting a man with HIV. He was remanded in Kasangati prison until his next court date on Nov. 25th. At least three of his colleagues may also face charges. Ganafa is the executive director of Spectrum Uganda & the Chair of Sexual Minorities Uganda. Also on trial is a retired expatriate British gay man, Bernard Randall & his Ugandan friend, Albert Cheptoyek which was adjourned until Dec. 4th. Bernard faces charges of trafficking obscene publications. This charge relates to private intimate videos. These videos only became public & police knowledge after Bernard's laptop was stolen & his personal videos were leaked to the media. Albert is being charged with gross indecency. Peter Tatchell, Director of the Peter Tatchell Foundation, who attended and spoke at the protest stated, “We are protesting against the homophobic witch-hunts & show trials in Uganda. These prosecutions violate Uganda’s own constitution & the African Charter on Human & People’s Rights, both of which guarantee equal treatment & non-discrimination to all citizens. The criminalization of homosexuality is contrary to these human rights obligations, which Uganda has agreed & pledged to uphold. All charges should be dropped and Uganda’s colonial-era anti-homosexual laws repealed. Uganda is known as one of the worst countries in the world to be gay. The maximum penalty for same-gender relations is life imprisonment & a bill before the parliament in Kampala proposes the death penalty for repeat homosexual offenders. In addition, there are widespread homophobic threats & mob violence - often fuelled by anti-gay Christian fundamentalists who are supported by right-wing evangelical pastors in the US.”
For More Info: petertatchellfoundation.org 
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Marking 10 Years of Gay Marriage

Ten years ago in a 50-page 4 to 3 ruling on November 18, 2003 the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that, "We declare that barring an individual from the protections, benefits & obligations of civil marriage solely because that person would marry a person of the same sex violates the Massachusetts Constitution." It was GLAD (Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders), the architects of marriage equality in America who kicked off a marriage equality revolution with their groundbreaking decision in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health. The decision made the Commonwealth the first place in the United States where gay & lesbian couples could marry. On Wednesday November 20th, Mary L. Bonauto, the Civil Rights Project Director for GLAD & the attorney who argued Goodridge before the SJC will reflect on the intervening years & the road ahead for LGBT equality at Old South Meeting House at 6:30P entitled “The Goodridge Decision: 10 Years Out.” The event is free. Since Massachusetts opened the door to marriage equality 16 states & the District of Columbia have followed. In the past year the U.S. Supreme Court finally struck down the unconstitutional Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) which denied federal recognition to legally married gay & lesbian couples. Fittingly the Old South Meeting House at 310 Washington Street in Boston was the scene of some of the most dramatic & stirring meetings leading up to the American Revolution. Today the treasured National Historic Landmark remains an active center for civic dialogue & free expression in the heart of downtown Boston. The museum is a fitting location for the event because it was at Old South Meeting House that our LGBT community celebrated the Goodridge victory with a rally on November 18, 2004. “The Goodridge Decision: 10 Years Out” talk is co-sponsored by Old South Meeting House & GLAD & is made possible by funding from the Lowell Institute.
For More Info: glad.org 
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Bronx School Invites Gay Bullying

The new Bronx LGBTQ Center expressed their concerned after learning that Cardinal Spellman High School has invited Father Donald Timone to speak at its school about LGBT issues. While they respect freedom of speech, they do not respect bullying & hate speech, especially when it negatively impacts the lives of at-risk teenagers. Fr. Timone's misinformed & unenlightened rhetoric adds to the toxic environment that drives so many LGBTQ youth to despair & beyond. Peter C. Frank, the Center's secretary stated, "No educational institution should be so irresponsible as to invite someone whose entire approach to LGBTQ individuals is based on bad science. Exodus International, a Christian ministry that formerly advocated attempts to 'pray away the gay' (i.e. conversion therapy), recently disbanded after admitting that a person's sexual orientation cannot be changed & that reparative therapy is in fact harmful." Fr. Timone is affiliated with COURAGE, an organization that treats gay, lesbian, bisexual & transgender people as addicts curable by participation in a 12-step program, instead of accepting & respecting them as the loving individuals they are. Courage's "free speech" promotes self-loathing among LGBTQ individuals & encourages others to hate LGBTQ people simply for being who they are, thus putting them at a greater risk of being bullied. Mr. Frank added, "Cardinal Spellman High School should instead, like Pope Francis's recent statements, be sending a message of love, inclusion & acceptance.” Rev. Carmen Hernandez, a board member of the Center concluded, "We at the Bronx LGBTQ Center want all youth to know that you are fine just as you are. There is absolutely nothing wrong with you, whether you're straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or questioning. We accept & celebrate you for who you are." The Bronx LGBTQ Center is a safe space for all who are struggling with issues of sexual orientation or gender identity. Their Youth Group meets at 4P every Friday at Union Community Health Center, 260 East 188th Street, 5th Floor, the Bronx.
For More Info: bronxlgbtqcenter.org
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LGBT Workers of Color Unequal

According to a new report LGBT workers of color are among the most disadvantaged workers in America. This is due to discrimination coupled with a lack of workplace protections, unequal job benefits & taxation & unsafe, under-resourced U.S. schools, LGBT people of color face extraordinarily high rates of unemployment & poverty. Sharon Lettman-Hicks, Executive Director & CEO of the National Black Justice Coalition stated, “Contrary to popular stereotypes, LGBT workers are more racially diverse than the general population, making it critical to address the unique obstacles they face. Bias & prejudice based on race, sexual orientation & gender identity/expression intersect to the detriment of LGBT workers of color.” Ineke Mushovic, Executive Director of the Movement Advancement Project added, “Systemic barriers & inequities in the educational system make it harder for LGBT people of color to meet workforce qualifications. LGBT workers of color are also unfairly denied or lack access to job-related benefits that other workers take for granted, making it harder for these workers to earn a living & provide for their families. “A Broken Bargain for LGBT Workers of Color,” is co-authored by the Movement Advancement Project, the Center for American Progress & its FIRE Initiative; Freedom to Work, the Human Rights Campaign & the National Black Justice Coalition in partnership with Color of Change, the Leadership Conference Education Fund, League of United Latin American Citizens, Mexican American Legal Defense & Educational Fund, the National Action Network, the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance, Out & Equal Workplace Advocates & SEIU. This is all just another reason why we need to pass ENDA, the Employment Nondiscrimination Act now. Updates to Come...:)
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Hawaii Passes Gay Marriage

Hawaii becomes the 16th state to pass gay marriage with a Senate vote of 19-4 with two lawmakers excused. In a special session of the Hawaiian legislature passed bill, SB1 after decades of tireless effort by dedicated Hawaiians making marriage a reality in the Aloha State for all. Senator Kahale, stated, "Same-gender relationships are part of the very fabric of native Hawaiian culture. Aloha was meant to describe openness & caring for each other. It is time for Aloha for all. My mother was born & raised in Hawaii & our family grew up with a strong sense of Aloha spirit, family values, & fairness for all." Stuart Gaffney MEUSA Communications added, "As we celebrate today, our family couldn't be prouder that Hawaii is making history as the 16th marriage equality state in the union & the second state in one week to declare equality for all families!" John Lewis MEUSA Legal & Policy Director concluded, "One of the early milestones in the freedom to marry movement was the lawsuit filed in Hawaii 23 years ago in 1991. The people of Hawaii never gave up & their long road to equality will make the wedding bells ring a bit louder & the wedding cake taste that much sweeter when the first marriages begin in Hawaii." Marriage will begin next month on Dec 2nd for gay & lesbian couples in Hawaii. One year ago at this time there were 7 states with the freedom to marry & today there are 16. We’re definitely moving forward. Congrats!!
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