Celebrating 42 Years! Issue 50 Volume 44
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Seattle Gay News SEATTLE’S LGBT NEWS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
Know your rights, Anti-Transgender protect yourself: legislation pre-filed in the Panel discussion Sunday Washington legislature
Marsha Botzer – Photo by Nate Gowdy
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Afraid of Donald Trump? Concerned about what his election might mean for your rights? Then Legal Voice has an op-
portunity for you. On Sunday, December 11, the women’s rights group will host a panel discussion titled “LGBTQ Rights Post-Election: Prosee KNOW YOUR RIGHTS page 5
Image courtesy of washingtonwontdiscriminate.org
by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor The rights of Transgender Washingtonians are under attack yet again. On Thursday, Washington Won’t Discriminate, a
coalition that supports Transgender rights and freedoms in Washington State, posted a message to its website that states, “Antitransgender forces are mounting another see HB 1011 page 4
“Trump promised me he’d NC Gov. McCrory lost rescind executive orders because of anti-LGBT bill, protecting LGBT employees,” new poll shows Rep. Steve Russell says
Rep. Steve Russell (R-Okla.) – Photo by AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Rep. Steve Russell, the author of an amendment to gut President Obama’s ex-
ecutive order protecting LGBT workers, says he believes he has a commitment from Donald Trump to rescind the order once he is sworn in as president.
see TRUMP PROMISE page 7
Pat McCrory – Photo courtesy of charlotteobserver.com
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer As North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory conceded defeat to his Democratic chal-
lenger, Roy Cooper, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) released a new poll showing conclusively that McCrory was defeated by HB 2, the draconian anti-LGBT bill he see MCCRORY page 13
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Pink Pistols article excellent Dear Editor: I wish to congratulate Shaun Knittel for his excellent article, “LGBT citizens should arm themselves” and for the Seattle Gay News for publishing it in the November 25, 2016 edition. Apparently, this means fighting fire with
HB 1011
continued from cover attempt to repeal our state’s long-standing transgender nondiscrimination laws, despite their failure earlier this year to get a similar repeal on Washington’s general election ballot.” “This new attack on Transgender Washingtonians is House Bill 1011. If passed, it would write discrimination into state law by allowing Transgender people to be prohibited from using the restroom consistent with who they are.” According to Washington Won’t Discriminate, the state’s current laws have protected Transgender men and women – “people who are part of our families, workplaces, and communities” – from unfair discrimination for the last 10 years.” HB 1011 would repeal those protections, leaving Transgender Washingtonians vulnerable to public harassment and opening schools, state and local governments,
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fire! Or, as the Pink Pistols slogan says, “Gays with guns don’t get bashed.” Perhaps with the upcoming Trump Administration and its “basket of deplorables” appointees, this will give free license to a lot of crazy people who will be more willing to attack minorities in general and LGBT people in particular.
So unfortunately we will have to be prepared to defend ourselves for any eventuality or personal attack.
and businesses to costly nondiscrimination lawsuits, the coalition alleges. “If this sounds like a familiar strategy from foes of transgender rights, that’s because it is. Washington lawmakers actually considered two similar bills in 2016: House Bill 2589 and Senate Bill 6548. HB 2589 was introduced into the Judiciary Committee but never went further. Lawmakers actually passed SB 6548 through the Senate Committee on Law & Justice, though it eventually died in the Rules Committee. HB 1011 is expected to move through the legislature much like SB 6548 did.” Perhaps most disturbing, says Washington Won’t Discriminate, is how much HB 1011 looks like North Carolina’s House Bill 2, which actually bans Transgender people from using gender-appropriate public restrooms and undermines the ability of local municipalities to set their own policies. HB 2 is considered the most extreme anti-LGBT law in the nation. PayPal, Deutsche Bank, and CoStar canceled planned expansions into North Carolina,
and the NBA, NCAA, and ACC pulled high-profile sporting events from the state, costing it nearly a billion dollars in economic investment. “We absolutely cannot afford for this kind of negative attention and these economic costs to descend on Washington,” said the coalition. “What’s more, transgender discrimination simply doesn’t reflect our values. Our state was one of the first to enact marriage equality via popular referendum, and we were one of the first states to ensure civil rights protections for all LGBT people. Our reputation as an inclusive, welcoming state is still strong – but that reputation could take a major blow if opponents of transgender equality make headway next year. “The pre-filing of this bill makes it clear that anti-transgender forces will be back in 2017, and that they are more determined than ever to erase our state’s long-standing transgender nondiscrimination laws.” For more information go to www.WashingtonWontDiscriminate.org.
John Mark
Celebrating 41 Years!
of the presidential election directly explaining how to get legal help. • Anti-Discrimination Laws: Jill MullKNOW YOUR RIGHTS result threatens their physical, emotional, and leJudi O’Kelley of Lambda Legal will ins-Cannon, ACLU of Washington cooper-
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tecting Ourselves and Our Community.” The event begins at 5:00 p.m. at Town Hall, 1119 8th Avenue. Lawyers and community activists will present information about a wide range of legal issues affecting the LGBT community, and they will also be available to answer questions. The event is free and open to the public, but an RSVP to Legal Voice is requested. “We’ve heard from a lot of people in the LGBTQ community who feel that the
gal well-being – especially those who are further marginalized by race, disability, or immigration status,” Legal Voice Communications Manager Sarah MacDonald wrote in an email to SGN. “This forum is designed to address those concerns by equipping people with knowledge of their legal rights and what they can do to protect them. Veteran activist and founder of Ingersoll Gender Center Marsha Botzer will give the opening remarks and then will speak again later in the program,
discuss the national political climate, followed by presentations on particular topics of interest: • Family Law: Cynthia Buhr of QLaw • Transgender Rights: Elayne Wylie of Gender Justice League, and Lucy Sharp of Legal Voice • Immigrant Rights: Jorge Baron or Mozhdeh Oskouian of the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project • Hate Crimes: Jim Ritter of the Seattle Police Department and Quita St. John of QLaw
ating attorney • LGBTQ Youth: Monisha Harrell from Equal Rights Washington (ERW) and the Safe Schools Coalition • How to get legal help: Marsha Botzer After the presentations, there will be about 25 m inutes for questions and answers. The discussion is cosponsored by ACLU-Washington, ERW, GSBA, Gender Justice League, Lambda Legal, Legal Voice, Pride Foundation, and QLaw.
Sen. Murray condemns Trump’s Secretary of Labor pick Trump names fast food billionaire to enforce labor laws by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Sen. Murray has condemned Donald Trump’s nomination of Andrew Puzder to the post of Secretary of Labor. In contrast to President Obama’s Secretaries of Labor – both of them civil rights attorneys – Trump has nominated a fast food billionaire who opposes basic workplace protections, including the minimum wage and overtime pay. In a statement released December 8, Murray, Washington’s senior senator and ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, said she was “alarmed” by Puzder’s nomination. “With the nomination of Andrew Puzder, President-Elect Trump has sent another clear signal that he has no intention of fulfilling his campaign promise to put workers and retirees first – instead, he’s bent on building an administration made up of billionaires and the staunchest allies for big business, special interests, and Wall Street that he can find,” she said. “The Department of Labor has significant and broad reach – from workers’ and labor rights to health and safety, workplace harassment, workforce investments, disability resources, pensions plans, and so much more – so I am eager to meet Mr.
Andrew Puzder – Photo courtesy of vcpost.com
Puzder to discuss in detail his plans and vision for the agency. “At the outset, I am deeply concerned by Mr. Puzder’s record of standing in the way of progress on issues that would make an immediate difference in the lives of
working families, in particular raising the minimum wage and ensuring equal pay for equal work. And I have serious questions about whether a CEO who is comfortable reinforcing harmful stereotypes about women and who is so dismissive of work-
place discrimination issues can be trusted to uphold core missions of the Department. “I am also alarmed by Mr. Puzder’s vocal support for eliminating the new overtime rule and other basic protections the current department has worked to finalize. If President-Elect Trump truly wants to stand up for workers and retirees, he and Mr. Puzder will commit to ensuring these protections are fully implemented. “Working families in my home state of Washington and across the country are looking for strong leadership for the department and someone who is going to be on their side – and not just for those already at the top. So I will work tirelessly to make sure their voices and priorities are heard loud and clear as part of a rigorous vetting and hearing process for Mr. Puzder.” Puzder is currently chief executive of the company that operates Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. fast food chains. He has been an outspoken critic of the worker protections enacted by the Obama administration, including measures to expand eligibility for overtime pay and the minimum wage. He strongly supports the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, which he maintains has helped create a “restaurant recession” because rising premiums have left middleand working-class people with less money to spend dining out.
Connecticut official moves to boot American Family Association from list of approved charities by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer The openly Gay state comptroller of Connecticut has threatened to remove the American Family Association (AFA) from the state’s list of approved charities, thereby preventing them from getting donations from state employees. Comptroller Kevin Lembo charged that the AFA’s “so-called attempts to protect family values” cross the line from educational work into political advocacy, and thus disqualify the anti-LGBT organization from charitable status. According to the Connecticut Post, Lembo and his husband, Charles Frey, are adoptive fathers of three sons and registered foster parents who take in emergency placements through the state Department of Children and Families. Their youngest son, 17-year-old Jordan Lembo-Frey, still lives at home. The two eldest were adopted from the New York state
Kevin Lembo – Photo courtesy of osc.ct.gov
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foster-care system more than 20 years ago when Lembo and Frey lived and worked in that state. The couple had to sue for the right to adopt, finally winning a precedent-setting ruling in 1994. The AFA says it is merely upholding “a biblical stance on marriage” and spreading information about “several boycotts of companies, like Target, that champion values contrary to scripture.” According to the AFA’s attorney, Abraham Hamilton III, Lembo is abusing his authority. “What’s being foisted upon the American Family Association is the latest iteration of if you don’t adhere to the nouveaux orthodoxy of the day – which is the sexual deviancy agenda – then you must be castigated and expelled from public life,” he said. “Because of his personal objections to the American Family Association’s stance on issues like marriage and the Target boy-
cott, then he sees fit to threaten us with his governmental position.” The AFA has been listed as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center for the “propagation of known falsehoods” and the use of “demonizing propaganda” against LGBT people. Lembo has been mentioned as a possible candidate for governor of Connecticut in 2018, if incumbent Dannel Malloy doesn’t run for a third term. Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman, Danbury mayor Mark Boughton, and state Sens. Rob Kane and Tony Hwang have also expressed interest in the position. “I’m not that far along in my personal decision even to think it’s even something I want to do,” Lembo told the Connecticut Post. “But I’m going to have to get there in the not-too-distant future, because it takes time. Anybody who’s going to do it has got to be working through their decision tree right now.”
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Walmart settles suit over benefits for same-sex spouses by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Walmart has settled a class-action lawsuit challenging the retail giant’s refusal to grant insurance benefits to same-sex spouses prior to 2014. In court papers filed on December 2, former Walmart employee Jacqueline Cote and her lawyers asked a US District Court in Massachusetts to grant preliminary approval of the settlement. The $7.5 million proposed settlement would pay for claims by Walmart employees in the United States and Puerto Rico that they were unable to obtain health insurance coverage for their same-sex spouses between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2013, plus administrative costs, legal fees, and expenses. In 2014, Walmart offered the same health insurance benefits to its employees’ same-sex spouses as it offered to oppositesex spouses. As part of the proposed settlement, Walmart commits to continuing to do so in the future. The proposed settlement class is expected to include thousands of current and former Walmart associates. Walmart employs nearly 1.5 million associates in the US and Puerto Rico. “I’m pleased that Walmart was willing to resolve this issue for me and other associates who are married to someone of the same sex,” lead plaintiff Jacqueline Cote said in a statement. “It’s a relief to bring this chapter of my life to a close.” Cote was represented by GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders (GLAD), the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs (WLC), and two private law firms. Janson Wu, GLAD’s executive director, said the action was “an important settlement for LGBTQ workers.”
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In 2014 President Obama signed an executive order adding sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of protected categories for companies that do business with the federal government. Since all major US companies get federal contracts, the order gave federal protection to millions of LGBT employees.
Photo courtesy of businesspundit.com
“We believe the proposed settlement is fair and reasonable and are pleased we could announce it today,” WLC Executive Director Jonathan Smith added. “We are pleased to have worked with our colleagues at GLAD, Outten & Golden, and Arnold & Porter to achieve this settlement.” Sally Welborn, Senior Vice President of Global Benefits for Walmart, said the company was “happy both sides could come together to reach a resolution.” “Respect for the individual, diversity, and inclusion are among the core values that made Walmart into the company that it is today,” she added. “We will continue to not distinguish between same- and opposite-sex spouses when it
comes to the benefits we offer under our health insurance plan.” Making Change at Walmart, the national campaign to make Walmart a more responsible employer, along with Pride at Work and UFCW OUTreach, two LGBT labor organizations, said Walmart should be judged by its future actions. “Actions speak louder than words, and until now, Walmart’s actions regarding LGBTQ workers’ and their spouses’ health benefits were discriminatory and hurtful,” the groups said in a joint statement. “We are pleased to hear that Walmart has admitted wrongdoing in Cote et al. v. Walmart Stores, Inc., and that they have agreed to abide by anti-discrimi-
nation policies, and to make those who have been discriminated against whole. It is our hope that Walmart accepts how wrong they were so that not one more Walmart worker will have to experience such injustice and bigotry. “We congratulate Jacqueline for her bravery, and we hope she inspires other Walmart workers to come forward and speak up about intolerance. In addition, we hope that Walmart realizes that this is just a start, and that too many of its hard-working Walmart men and women face povertylevel wages, poor benefits, and unfair workplaces. Now, more than ever, it is time for Walmart to wake up and change.”
Russell then attached an amendment to a defense spending bill that would have created a “religious exemption” to Obama’s nondiscrimination order. Democrats objected to the exemption, and negotiations between the two sides went on for months before a compromise version was put together without Russell’s amendment. However, Russell told BuzzFeed News that Trump has given him “very good assurances” that he will rescind the executive
order once he becomes president. “These issues will be resolved,” Russell said, “and we have gotten some very good assurances moving forward.” “I am certainly encouraged by the signs that I am getting from the administration that is inbound,” he added. Meanwhile, Republican Sen. John McCain declined to comment when asked by Buzzfeed why the Russell amendment was taken out of the National Defense Authorization Act.
“As a general outlook,” McCain replied, “I think those religious-based organizations should be allowed to make decisions that are in keeping with their religious beliefs.” LGBT rights activists are worried that Trump will start reversing federal protections once he assumes office, perhaps scrapping Obama’s 2014 order or further elaborating George W. Bush’s 2002 order that protects the “religious rights” of faithbased social service organizations.
Both same-sex spouses can’t be listed on birth certificates, Arkansas Supreme Court rules by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer The Arkansas Supreme Court has ruled that only the biological parent may be listed on the birth certificate for the child of a same-sex couple. In its December 8 ruling, the court reversed a lower court judge and admonished him for “inappropriate remarks” when he decided against the state’s birth certificate law. Attorney Cheryl Maples, who sued on behalf of three same-sex couples wanting both partners listed as parents on their children’s birth certificates, said she may appeal the ruling to the US Supreme Court. The couples had been allowed to amend their respective children’s birth certificates under a 2015 ruling by Pulaski County Circuit Judge Tim Fox. Fox decided to support their claim on the basis of the US Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell, legalizing same-sex marriage.
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Justice Josephine Linker Hart – Photo courtesy of courts.arkansas.gov
The state Supreme Court, on the other hand, denied that the birth certificates had anything to do with marriage rights. “What is before this court is a narrow issue of whether the birth-certificate statutes as written deny the appellees due process,” Justice Josephine Linker Hart wrote in the court’s majority opinion. “...In the situation involving the female spouse of a biological mother, the female spouse does not have the same biological nexus to the child that the biological mother or the biological father has. It does not violate equal protection to acknowledge basic biological truths.” The birth certificate issue was the first major case involving same-sex marriage for the Arkansas court since the Obergefell ruling. Judd Deere, a spokesperson for Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge, who fought to uphold existing state law on birth certificates, said the state is “gratified” by the court’s decision.
“If any changes are appropriate, it is the job of legislators to do so, not the circuit court,” he said. Arkansas Associate Justice Paul Danielson dissented from the ruling. “There can be no reasonable dispute that the inclusion of a parent’s name on a child’s birth certificate is a benefit associated with and flowing from marriage,” Danielson wrote, adding that the US Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage “requires that this benefit be accorded to same-sex spouses and opposite-sex spouses with equal force.” Maples argued that the Arkansas Supreme Court decision was discriminatory and favored opposite-sex couples. “There’s no requirement that DNA be given or that there be a biological relationship to a child to get on a birth certificate for a father, for the non-birth parent,” she said. “All you have to do is legitimize the child and you’re entitled, if you’re heterosexual. This is wrong.”
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Trans man wins Title VII sex discrimination case by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer A federal arbitrator ruled on December 7 that a Transgender man in Lake Charles, Louisiana, was illegally forced to quit his job “because of his sex,” violating his rights under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Tristan Broussard had worked for an installment loan company for less than a week when he was called into the office and instructed by a company vice president to sign a document stating that his “preference to act and dress as male” was not “in compliance” with the company’s personnel policies. Broussard quit the job rather than comply with the company’s demand that he present as a woman at work. The federal arbitrator found that Broussard “involuntarily resigned in order to escape an intolerable and illegal requirement imposed by the corporate office – that he act and dress only as a female.” The arbitrator then ordered the company to pay Broussard more than a year of pay, as well as emotional distress damages. “I am very happy to have this ruling,” Broussard said in a statement. “I just wanted to work hard and do my job, and I hope this ruling will allow other employees the chance to do the same.” “No one should have to face employment discrimination or the fear of being fired simply because of their sex,” said Amy Whelan, a senior staff attorney at the National Center for Lesbian Rights, which assisted Broussard with his complaint. “Transgender people experience extremely high rates of unemployment and poverty due to widespread discrimination in the workplace. Employers need to understand that there are legal consequences
Tristan Broussard – Photo courtesy of nclrights.org
when they fire or harass their employees based on gender identity,” Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) Senior Policy Counsel Scott McCoy added. Theh SPLC also helped with Broussard’s case. Private attorney Casey Pitts, who is representing Broussard, said, “Transgender
workers deserve the same certainty as others that their jobs and livelihood depend not on irrelevant characteristics but on the quality of their work and the skills they provide.” Federal courts have repeatedly recognized that Title VII, which prohibits sex discrimination, also protects
Transgender workers. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency charged by Congress with interpreting and enforcing Title VII, has also made clear that employers cannot fire or refuse to hire employees because they are Transgender.
Trump vs. science: Climate change denier goes to EPA, anti-regulation guy to FDA by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Donald Trump – who successfully challenged the Republican establishment to win his party’s nomination and the Democratic establishment to win the presidency – is now challenging science itself with two controversial picks to head important federal agencies. On December 7 Trump announced that he would nominate Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt to head the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Later the same day, the Trump team floated the name of Jim O’Neill to run the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Curiously enough, Pruitt is currently suing the agency he has been nominated to lead, on behalf his state and local oil interests, who bitterly resent the Obama administration’s regulation of fossil fuels. According to the New York Times, Pruitt allied with Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott – now the governor – as early as 2014 to craft a legal challenge to Obama’s climate change policies. Their efforts resulted in a 28-state lawsuit against the administration’s guidelines. The case is pending in federal court and is expected to make its way eventually to the US Supreme Court, by which
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Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt – Photo courtesy of newsok.com
time the high court may contain at least one Trump appointee.
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Like Trump, who once said that climate change is a “hoax” concocted by
China to limit US industrial growth, Pruitt refuses to believe the scientific consensus on climate change. In May Pruitt wrote an article in the conservative National Review magazine arguing that the science behind climate change “is far from settled. Scientists continue to disagree about the degree and extent of global warming and its connection to the actions of mankind.” Jim O’Neill, who may head up the FDA, is a friend of alt-right homocon Peter Thiel and managing director of Thiel’s investment firm, Mithril Capital Management. Like Thiel, O’Neill bitterly resents government regulations and has argued against the FDA monitoring drug efficacy. “We should reform FDA so there is approving drugs after their sponsors have demonstrated safety – and let people start using them, at their own risk, but not much risk of safety,” O’Neill said in a speech at an August 2014 conference called Rejuvenation Biotechnology. “Let’s prove efficacy after they’ve been legalized.” Both appointments would require Senate confirmation, and the Pruitt appointment in particular has stirred up a hornet’s nest of controversy, but it remains to be seen if Senate Democrats have the political will to try to block Trump’s appointments.
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11th Circuit Court OKs Florida GSAs by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer The federal 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on December 6 that Florida middle school students may form a gaystraight alliance (GSA) to combat bullying. The appeals court decision reversed the finding of a lower court that the Lake County, Florida, School Board could prevent students from forming GSAs. The case dates back to 2011, when a group of students at Carver Middle School requested permission to form a GSA and were denied by school authorities. In 2013 the ACLU filed suit on their behalf, arguing that the federal Equal Access Act required the school district to treat all extracurricular clubs the same. The school district claimed that under Florida state law, only high schools and not middle schools fell under the
MCCRORY
continued from cover pushed through the state legislature. The survey, conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner for HRC and Equality North Carolina, interviewed 500 North Carolina voters and 1,100 voters nationwide. “Civil right issues were a major part of the election in North Carolina, and these issues cost Republican Pat McCrory his job,” the survey concludes. While fellow Republican Donald Trump won North Carolina by some 100,000 votes, McCrory lost the state by more than 10,000. Not only did McCrory run behind Donald Trump, he also ran 96,000 votes behind Sen. Richard Burr, running for re-election. According to the polling, “McCrory lost on Election Day because, unlike Trump and Burr, he did not dominate independent voters.” Both Trump and Burr won independent voters by 21 points, while McCro-
Carver Middle School in Florida – Photo courtesy of watermarkonline.com
federal guidelines. US District Judge William Terrell Hodges agreed with the school district in an August 2015 ruling, but he was reversed by the 11th Circuit. “Carver Middle School provides cours-
es through which students can obtain high school credit. The Equal Access Act applies to Carver Middle School,” the appeals court wrote. “Today’s ruling from the appeals court clarifies that the Equal Access Act does ap-
ry won the group by only 9 points. The polling also found that HB 2 was the leading reason voters gave for voting against McCrory, with 57% of the respondents citing it – 17 points more than any other single issue. According to the poll, North Carolina voters opposed to HB 2 by a margin of 62% to 30%, and McCrory couldn’t survive his association with the unpopular measure. “This research is proof that when it comes to LGBTQ equality, hearts and minds remain forever changed and on our side. Nowhere is that more clear than in North Carolina, where voters soundly rejected Pat McCrory and sent a clear signal that anti-LGBTQ politicking is now a liability to candidates, no matter their party,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “Barely 10 years ago, Republicans – and some Democrats – running for governor were campaigning their support for state bans on marriage equality. But today, as McCrory has proven to the nation, promoting anti-LGBTQ discrimination will cost you an election. There is no doubt that
Americans have moved inexorably in the direction of equality and have no appetite for hatred from their elected officials.” “This polling data shows what we have seen and heard in our communities all over the state: HB2 is bad for North Carolina,” said Equality NC Executive Director Chris Sgro. “Pat McCrory refused to listen to the people of North Carolina and as a result, the people stood up and ousted him out of office. That means that a champion of equality will replace one of the worst anti-LGBTQ politicians as the highest officeholder in our state. North Carolinians deserve a governor that represents their values. There is much to be done in order to support Roy Cooper’s efforts to repeal HB 2 and create statewide nondiscrimination protections. We are looking forward to working with Governor-Elect Roy Cooper to repeal the vile HB 2 and restore North Carolina’s reputation.” The nationwide polling found a massive increase in support for marriage equality compared to the 2012 election.
ply to Florida’s public middle schools, and it orders the lower court to conduct further proceedings to address the students’ request to establish the club on campus and other requested relief,” the ACLU said in a statement. “We’re very happy that middle school students across Florida will now be able to form GSAs without interference from school administrators,” said Daniel Tilley, staff attorney for LGBT rights for the ACLU of Florida. Tilley said a “substantial” number of students at Carver Middle School are prepared to petition to create another GSA. School district spokesperson Sherri Owens told the Orlando Sentinel that she hadn’t yet seen the ruling. School board attorney Steve Johnson didn’t return a call from the newspaper seeking comment.
A 61% majority of voters now support marriage equality, compared to only 50% after the 2012 election. There is also significant support for comprehensive legal protections for LGBTQ Americans. An impressive 69% of voters support passing the Equality Act, which would add LGBT rights to federal civil rights laws. Even a 55% majority of Trump voters support the measure. “Whatever message voters sent Tuesday, November 8, they did not signal any kind of retreat from LGBTQ equality,” pollsters concluded. “LGBTQ issues were not a major part of the national debate this cycle and only 44% heard anything about Donald Trump and Mike Pence’s position on ‘gay rights and LGBT issues.’ Nonetheless, impressive majorities of the electorate that sent Donald Trump to the White House support marriage equality and the Equality Act, and more fundamentally, 63% of voters believe the right to marry for same-sex couples is now a permanent right in this country.”
New policy brief provides an overview of social science research on Lesbian and Gay families by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor A new policy brief from the National Council on Family Relations provides an overview of findings from social science research, as well as recommendations for policies to help Lesbian and Gay (LG)–parent families to thrive. According to the brief, research on LG parents and their children is consistent across studies and samples in finding that both parents and children do not differ in well-being or developmental outcomes from the general population. “In recent years, considerable controversy has surrounded families headed by lesbian and gay parents,” the authors say. “Questions posed by courts and legislators have included: Do lesbians and gay men make good parents? How do their children turn out? Despite diversity among LGparent families, results of research have shown that LG parents are generally well adjusted, that their children are developing in positive ways, and that families living in supportive circumstances seem to show the most positive developmental outcomes.” In addition, the brief states that fami-
(l) Professor Abbie E. Goldberg, Ph.D. & Professor Charlotte J. Patterson, Ph.D. – Photos courtesy of colage.org & equalityvirginia.org
lies headed by LG parents are very diverse. “Like other families, they vary on and are influenced by many characteristics, including race, ethnicity, education, and income.” Like other families, LG parents and
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their children fare better when they have adequate resources and live in supportive environments. Supportive laws and policies, such as nondiscrimination protections, can help LG parents
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and their children to thrive. However, “despite the recent introduction of marriage equality in the United States, children of LG parents are still more likely than children of heterosexual parents to live in poverty.” The authors end the brief by stating, “An important policy change that could improve the climate for LG parents and their children would thus be passage of a federal nondiscrimination bill, on the model of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, to outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation in employment, housing, and other areas. In addition, closure of religious exemptions that allow for continued discrimination against sexual minorities would be a valuable step toward full equality. In these ways, the United States could ensure more inclusive and supportive environments for LG parents and their children.” The brief was co-authored by Williams Institute Faculty Advisory Committee Member and former visiting scholar Prof. Charlotte J. Patterson, PhD, and current Williams Institute visiting scholar Prof. Abbie E. Goldberg, PhD.
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Mother of girl slain in Jerusalem Gay pride parade appointed to the Israeli bench by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor Of the 13 judges appointed in Jerusalem on Thursday, seven were women. The one who was singled out by Israeli President Reuven Rivlin was Miriam Banki, better known as Mika, the mother of Shira Banki, who was fatally stabbed while marching in the annual Jerusalem Gay Pride Parade in July 2015. Shira, who was 16 and heterosexual, came to demonstrate solidarity with her LGBTQ friends and was stabbed by Yishai Schissel, a homophobic Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) man who had already been jailed for an attack at the 2005 parade and had just been released from prison three weeks before the killing. Rivlin visited the Banki family shortly after the murder of their daughter, and on the first anniversary of Shira’s death, the president and his wife, Nechama, invited the Bankis to come to the president’s residence. In his opening remarks on Thursday, President Rivlin said that when he visits bereaved families, a minute before the door closes behind him as he leaves, he prays that the next time they meet it will be to celebrate a happy occasion. Well, one could say that Thursday was such an occasion! Mika Banki pledged her allegiance to the Jewish state and its laws and her intention to dispense justice fairly, not to pervert the law, and not to show favor, in her new role as a judge.
(l) Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court Judge Miriam Banki with President Reuven Rivlin (r) and National Labor Court President Yigal Plitman (m) – Photo by MARK NEYMAN/GPO)
Customarily each new judge, after reciting the pledge, steps forward to receive a certificate testifying to his or her appoint-
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ment and shakes hands with President Rivlin, Supreme Court President Miriam Naor, National Labor Court President Yigal Plit-
man, and Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked. But when Banki approached the group, Rivlin embraced her.
December 9, 2016
Seattle Gay News 17
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December 9, 2016
Celebrating 41 Years!
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December 9, 2016
Seattle Gay News 19