SGN Jul 27, 2018 - Part 1

Seattle Gay News

Lack of funding risks resurgence of HIV, new report says

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

Lack of funding for HIV treatment and prevention risks a resurgence of the HIV epidemic, a new report in The Lancet medical journal says.

The report, compiled by the Lancet Commission, blames a “dangerous complacency” on the part of world governments for the problem. Experts quoted in the report warn that

see HIV FUNDS page 11

New Cuban constitution to guarantee marriage “without distinction of sex”

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

According to the Cuban state newspaper Granma, the country’s new constitution will define marriage as a “voluntary and consensual union between two people without distinction of sex.”

Trump wants to boot HIV+ soldiers

Lawsuits challenge policy

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

Two separate lawsuits have been filed challenging a Trump administration policy that could allow it to dismiss HIV-positive members of the armed forces from service.

The suits, Harrison v. Mattis and Doe v. Mattis, have been filed by Lambda Legal on behalf of US armed forces personnel who stand to lose their careers and any jobrelated benefits if the policy is implemented. see HIV+ SOLDIERS page 11

40 US senators sign letter opposing anti-LGBTQ legislation

to establish a “license to discriminate” in child welfare services

WASHINGTON – [On July 25], the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization, praised the 40 US senators who signed a letter opposing a discrimi-

natory, anti-LGBTQ “license to discriminate” amendment to the FY 2019 funding bill for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education. The

According to Reuters, the Secretary of the Cuban Council of State, Homero Acosta, see CUBA page 13 see SENATE page 12

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

SEAMEC rating unfair to Steve Hoffman

SGN Editor:

I was angered at the fake news I saw coming from SEAMEC’s election ratings that gave Freedom Socialist Party candidate Steve Hoffman a “needs improvement” in the race for Washington’s U.S. Senate seat currently held by Maria Cantwell. From my perspective as a gay socialist and longtime activist in our movement Steve Hoffman would be one of the first people I’d want to stand with me in a political fight to protect and extend LGBTQIA rights. He deserves the highest score possible.

The Freedom Socialist Party (FSP) has been on the frontlines of the queer movement ever since the party’s founding in the mid-1960s. You can read about FSP’s history in Gary Adkins book, Gay Seattle: Stories of Exile and Belonging

In the 1970s FSP took the lead in writing and fighting for Seattle’s Fair Employment Practices Ordinance protecting gay workers as well as women and people of color. This groundbreaking legislation, the first to pass in the country, was based on FSP’s multiissue, feminist program that attracted Hoffman to FSP in the first place.

In the 1990s Hoffman defended Steven Farmer the first gay man force tested for HIV against his will in our state, fought Lon Mabon’s homophobic legislative attacks, and as a Navy veteran argued for an end to discrimination against gays, lesbians and transgendered enlistees in the military.

Today he’s led protests in Seattle, Kent and Spokane that exposed his opponent Joey Gibson, a founder of Patriot Prayer and a neo-Nazi attracting Republican running in the same race, while Democrat Cantwell and mainstream Republican Susan Hutchison have both remained silent on Gibson’s candidacy.

As a shop steward and recording secretary of his union, Washington Federation of State Employees 304, Hoffman consistently raises and supports queer issues in the labor movement.

Yet SEAMEC rates Hoffman 2 out of 5, while in comparison corporate Cantwell gets a 4, Trump-supporting Hutchison gets a

2 and alt-right Gibson gets a question mark. What’s the thinking here? Surely SEAMEC can figure out that Hoffman is distinctly different and much more pro-gay than Hutchison and Gibson, and even Cantwell. SEAMEC has become merely a voice for the Democrats and no longer provides a truthful assessment where candidates stand on queer issues. SEAMEC sees only electability rather than Hoffman’s solid workingclass program backed up by actions. Their ludicrous evaluation of Hoffman is actually a disservice to the LGBTQIA community.

With Trump in office, now is the time to elect people offering solutions that get at the root of the problems facing us, especially candidates that have a track record of fighting for our community.

is that person.

Smith, Volunteer Coordinator Advocates for Hoffman

One year after Trump’s Transgender troop ban tweets, Transgender service members continue to serve with distinction

WASHINGTON – [On July 26], the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization, marked one year since Donald Trump’s spurious and hateful tweets announcing a ban on transgender troops on July 26, 2017. In the year since the tweets, the HRC has fought beside transgender service members and partner organizations in Karnoski v. Trump, the federal lawsuit filed by Lambda Legal and OutServe-SLDN to oppose this president’s discriminatory policy in the courts, on the streets, and in the media.

“One year ago, thousands of transgender service members and countless more potential recruits found their worlds turned upside down,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “Despite Donald Trump and Mike Pence’s hateful efforts, brave transgender troops continue to demonstrate both their love of country and ability to serve. A grateful nation respects their service even if the commander-in-chief fails to do so, and the Human Rights Campaign will not rest until we ensure that every transgender person is treated with respect and fairness.”

“From day one of this administration, Donald Trump and Mike Pence have sought to license discrimination against the LGBTQ community, particularly transgender people,” said HRC National Press

Secretary Sarah McBride. “Donald Trump and Mike Pence’s despicable attempt to mandate discrimination in our military, America’s largest employer, is part of a broader effort to push transgender people back into the shadows and out of public life.

From the bipartisan chorus of members of Congress to leading medical associations to several federal courts, every passing day we see further proof that this president’s policy is animus-fueled, dangerous, and unconstitutional.”

“After the tweetban was issued, Lambda Legal and Outserve-SLDN flew into action. We promised we would take action if the policy was enacted, and we did,” said Lambda Legal Staff Attorney Sasha Buchert. “Today, I think it’s also important to underscore another anniversary: that day just over two years ago when the ban on open transgender military service was lifted. The only thing that has happened as a result of allowing open transgender military service is that transgender service members are serving our country with honor, dignity, and distinction.”

Following Trump’s initial tweets, the HRC joined six currently serving members of the armed services, three individuals who seek to enlist, the American Military Partners Association (AMPA), and Washington State’s Gender Justice League as co-plaintiffs in Karnoski v. Trump, one

of four federal lawsuits filed challenging the ban. Since then, seven federal courts –including, most recently, the US Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit – have barred the Trump-Pence administration from implementing the ban.

Despite the string of court victories for transgender troops and recruits, the TrumpPence administration has continued to appeal the rulings in an effort to force their extreme anti-LGBTQ agenda on the US military.

Yesterday, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), a member of the US Senate Armed Services Committee and ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel, and Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), ranking member of the US House Armed Services Committee, joined representatives from the HRC, Lambda Legal, Outserve-SLDN, and AMPA for a press call on the current state of the ban. An audio recording of the press call can be found here.

[On July 26], members of Congress will utilize Donald Trump’s social media platform of choice, Twitter, for a “tweet-up” organized by the HRC and Lambda Legal. Participants will show their support for transgender troops on Twitter beginning at 11 a.m. by utilizing #TransBanTweetUp.

Since the president’s initial tweets, a diverse range of voices has opposed

banning transgender people from serving in the military. Thirty-three former national security experts and military leaders, the American Medical Association, and the NAACP filed briefs in support the cases filed to halt the Trump-Pence ban.

Democratic and Republican lawmakers, including Sens. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), and John McCain (R-AZ), have stated their support for transgender troops. In March, the HRC, Lambda Legal, Outserve-SLDN, AMPA, and the Gender Justice League unveiled a television ad titled “Patriots,” featuring many of those voices speaking out against the policy.

To learn more about the HRC’s work on transgender equality, visit hrc.org/transgender.

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work, and in every community.

Courtesy of the HRC

Pride Foundation update on CEO search: Naming an Acting CEO

Dear SGN,

I wanted to share an update with all of you about our search for Pride Foundation’s next CEO.

We are so pleased to have received an overwhelmingly positive response, both from candidates applying for consideration as well as partners offering to share the position profile with their networks.

While this clearly means that Pride Foundation is well-positioned to find an incredible person to be our next leader, it has also necessarily resulted in the search process taking longer than originally planned. We now expect that there will be a period of time between when our current CEO, Kris Hermanns, completes her service in this role at the end of August, and when our new CEO joins us full time.

Thankfully, we have a transitional plan in place that will ensure the continuity of our current work and provide stability at this important juncture, while allowing us to continue to be intentional and thoughtful in our search for our next CEO.

To lead through this transitional period, Pride Foundation’s Board of Directors has selected Katie Carter, our current Director of Strategic Priorities, to step into the role of Acting CEO starting September 1st.

I’m sure many of you know Katie already, as she has been with the foundation for nearly five years, working closely with Kris across all areas of the organization, and brings the capabilities and leadership to support Pride Foundation during this time.

I have been particularly impressed by Katie’s leadership through some of the exciting but significant changes Pride Foundation has experienced over the past few years, from our merger with Equity Foundation, to the establishment of several key institutional funding partnerships, to the re-envisioning of our strategic plan and integration of our racial equity focus. She will work with our management team and Board to ensure that all of our work keeps moving forward, and that there is a seamless transition when our next CEO joins us.

We are grateful for your ongoing support of Pride Foundation, and we are excited about what the future holds. We welcome any questions you might have and you can reach us at: executivecommittee@pridefoundation.org.

With pride,

Wakefield, President Pride Foundation Board of Directors

KEEP COOL! Seattle Public Library publicizes branch libraries with air conditioning

The Seattle Public Library’s Northeast Branch (6801 35th Ave. NE.) and Green Lake Branch (7364 E. Green Lake Dr. N.) closed early on Thursday, July 26, due to high internal temperatures. Those locations do not have air conditioning. Library locations with air conditioning include:

Central Library – 1000 4th Ave. (206) 386-4636

Monday - Thursday: 10am to 8pm, Friday and Saturday: 10am to 6pm, Sunday: noon to 8pm Ballard – 5614 22nd Ave. NW. (206) 684-4089

Monday - Thursday: 10am to 8pm, Friday and Saturday: 10am to 6pm, Sunday: 1pm to 5pm Beacon Hill – 2821 Beacon Ave. S. (206) 684-4711

Monday - Thursday: 10am to 8pm, Friday and Saturday: 10am to 6pm, Sunday: 1pm to 5pm Broadview – 12755 Greenwood Ave. N. (206) 684-7519

Monday - Thursday: 10am to 8pm, Friday and Saturday: 10am to 6pm, Sunday: 1pm to 5pm Capitol Hill – 425 Harvard Ave. E. (206) 684-4715

Monday - Thursday: 10am to 8pm, Friday and Saturday: 10am to 6pm, Sunday: 1pm to 5pm Delridge – 5423 Delridge Way SW. (206) 733-9125

Monday and Tuesday: 1pm to 8pm, Wednesday and Thursday: 11am to 6pm, Friday: Closed, Saturday: 11am to 6pm, Sunday: 1pm to 5pm Douglass-Truth – 2300 E. Yesler Way (206) 684-4704

Monday - Thursday: 10am to 8pm, Friday and Saturday: 10am to 6pm, Sunday: 1pm to 5pm Greenwood – 8016 Greenwood Ave. N. (206) 684-4086

Monday - Thursday: 10am to 8pm, Friday and Saturday: 10am to 6pm,

Sunday: 1pm to 5pm High Point – 3411 SW. Raymond St. (206) 684-7454

Monday and Tuesday: 1pm to 8pm, Wednesday - Saturday: 11am to 6pm, Sunday: 1pm to 5pm

International District / Chinatown –713 8th Ave. S. (206) 386-1300

Monday and Tuesday: 1pm to 8pm, Wednesday - Saturday: 11am to 6pm, Sunday: 1pm to 5pm Madrona-Sally Goldmark –1134 33rd Ave. (206) 684-4705

Monday and Tuesday: 1pm to 8pm,

Wednesday and Thursday: 11am to 6pm, Friday: Closed, Saturday: 11am to 6pm, Sunday: 1pm to 5pm Magnolia – 2801 34th Ave. W. (206) 386-4225

Monday and Tuesday: 1pm to 8pm,

Wednesday and Thursday: 11am to 6pm, Friday: Closed, Saturday: 11am to 6pm, Sunday: 1pm to 5pm Montlake Branch – 2401 24th Ave. E. (206) 684-4720

Monday and Tuesday: 1pm to 8pm, Wednesday and Thursday: 11am to 6pm, Friday: Closed, Saturday: 11am to 6pm, Sunday: 1pm to 5pm New Holly – 7058 32nd Ave. S. (206) 386-1905

Monday and Tuesday: 1pm to 8pm, Wednesday and Thursday: 11am to 6pm, Friday: Closed, Saturday: 11am to 6pm, Sunday: 1pm to 5pm Northgate – 10548 5th Ave. NE. (206) 386-1980

Monday - Thursday: 10am to 8pm, Friday and Saturday: 10am to 6pm, Sunday: 1pm to 5pm Rainier Beach – 9125 Rainier Ave. S. (206) 386-1906

Monday - Thursday: 10am to 8pm, Friday and Saturday: 10am to 6pm, Sunday: 1pm to 5pm South Park – 8604 8th Ave. S. (206) 615-1688

Monday and Tuesday: 1pm to 8pm, Wednesday - Saturday: 11am to 6pm, Sunday: 1pm to 5pm Wallingford – 1501 N. 45th St. (206) 684-4088

Monday and Tuesday: 1pm to 8pm, Wednesday and Thursday: 11am to 6pm, Friday: Closed, Saturday: 11am to 6pm, Sunday: 1 m to 5pm

For more information, call (206) 386-4636.

Courtesy of the Seattle Public Library

There can be no excusing, driving after cannabis using.

Cannabis affects

It’s illegal to use cannabis while riding as a passenger. Keep cannabis in original, unopened cannabis out of reach—like in the trunk.

It’s a crime, a bad decision, you could cause harm or a collision.

increase

Mixing alcohol and cannabis can increase the risk of crashes.

105 deadly crashes in 2016 involved a driver who tested positive for cannabis. An increase from 91 fatal crashes in Washington state during the previous year.

When it comes to cannabis, safety is essential. Driving under the in uence is illegal—and it’s also dangerous. Cannabis can impair judgment, alertness, and reaction time. And driving while under the in uence could lead to harmful—possibly deadly—collisions. Which could mean signi cant legal penalties for you. By choosing a safer ride, you can keep yourself—and others on the road—out of harm’s way.

For more on safe driving, visit KnowThisAboutCannabis.org

* Source information for statements can be found at KnowThisAboutCannabis.org/Sources

ALKI BEACH PRIDE:

DeAndre’s Coming Out Party was fun, fun, fun

by MK Scott

SGN Contributing Writer

Last Saturday, July 21st, marked the 4th Annual Alki Beach Pride. The event was held from 11am to 6pm at 59th Ave. SW. and Alki Ave. SW. This year’s theme was “COME OUT and Float at the Beach.” The event will be hosted by Thadayus featured music by DJ Ms Cruz Entertainment & DJ Fred Eddison along with live entertainment by Louvel, Visage “Legs” LaRue, Izohnny, singer/songwriter Lakin, and “American Idol” alum DeAndre Brackensick.

I made it in time for Izohnny, a Portland based Boylesque duo; followed by a lip sync contest hosted by Thaddeus and messages from Emperor, Paul Ashley and Miss Gay Washington, Londyn Bradshaw. Special guest was female amateur boxer, Pantera Gomez. Lakin performed and even did a duet with fellow headliner, DeAndre Brackensick. When Thaddeus introduced DeAndre and announced this was his coming out party (Brackensick came Out as bisexual in my interview in the June 20th issue of the Seattle Gay News), the crowd cheered and stormed the stage when they heard his powerful voice. This was truly a day to remember.

Court asked to rule against Mutual of Omaha’s anti-PrEP, anti-Gay policy in bias case

BOSTON – [On July 18] GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) filed a motion for summary judgment in a firstof-its-kind case challenging discrimination against a gay man who takes the medication Truvada as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to prevent the transmission of HIV.

The plaintiff in Doe v. Mutual of Omaha asserts that the insurance company’s refusal to sell him a long-term care policy is based on its categorical exclusion of anyone who is HIV-negative and takes PrEP. Doe asserts that Mutual’s blanket exclusion is sexual orientation discrimination because 80% of PrEP users are gay men. He also presses a claim for discrimination on the basis of perceived disability.

“There is no legitimate reason for Mutual’s exclusionary rule. It has no business

HIV+ SOLDIERS

continued from cover

The Department of Defense’s new “deploy or get out!” policy, which goes into effect October 1, classifies individuals living with HIV as “nondeployable” even if they are perfectly healthy, then orders the armed forces to discharge anyone who can’t be deployed for more than 12 consecutive months.

The policy also instructs the armed forces

HIV FUNDS

continued from cover

the world is no longer on course to halt the epidemic by 2030, a target agreed to by UN member states.

New HIV infections have been falling in recent years, but the Lancet Commission said the fall was happening too slowly to reach the UNAIDS target of only 500,000 new infections by 2020. Currently there are an estimated 1.8 million new cases every year.

While HIV rates were falling overall, they remained persistent in marginalized groups, the report said. Younger people –

rationale and flies in the face of common sense,” said Bennett Klein, senior attorney and director of GLAD’s AIDS Law Project.

“Mutual would insure the same person not on PrEP – who presents the higher risk of HIV. Mutual’s policy is illogical and contrary to how it treats other medications. The only explanation for the exclusion of people who take a drug associated with gay men is that it is based on aversion to gay male sexuality and nothing else. In our view, it’s pure homophobia.”

In depositions cited by GLAD, Mutual’s own experts and its medical director made multiple admissions, among them:

PrEP is “highly effective” against HIV;

Mutual’s policy is contrary to its stated underwriting goal of reducing the number of people with HIV among its insureds; and

not to enlist anyone who is HIV-positive.

According to Lambda Legal, hundreds of service members who are otherwise fit for duty will be discharged from the military, suffer irrevocable harm to their careers, and lose critical health care and other benefits.

One of those service members and the named plaintiff in one of the lawsuits, 41-year-old Sgt. Nick Harrison, says soldiers living with HIV should not be denied the opportunity to serve their country.

particularly women – and people in developing countries, all of whom were less likely to access treatment, were especially at risk, the Commission said.

HIV funding has remained flat in recent years, at about $19.27 billion – roughly $7.08 billion short of the estimated amount needed to achieve the UNAIDS targets.

Dr. Linda-Gail Bekker, president of the International Aids Society and professor at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, said that “despite the remarkable progress of the HIV response, the situation has stagnated in the past decade.

“Reinvigorating this work will be demanding – but the future health and well-

While Mutual excludes applicants who take PrEP as directed and are at low risk for HIV, the company sells insurance to applicants who do not take PrEP and are thus at higher risk for HIV.

Mutual of Omaha has variously claimed that its treatment of people taking Truvada is justified because of concerns about adherence to the treatment and because of the lack of long-term data on the effects of Truvada. But these rationales are contradicted by Mutual’s provision of long-term care insurance to applicants taking drugs for other illnesses.

This case, the first to challenge the antigay policy that is widespread in the industry, has brought national prominence to the issue and prompted some state insurance agencies to consider action. In June, the New York

“This case is not just about me,” he says. “This is about every person living with HIV knowing that they can perform any job in the world, including serving in the military.”

“I look forward to the day that I can serve my country to the full extent of my abilities, based on my performance and unfettered by unfounded fears and misperceptions about HIV,” Harrison added.

In addition to losing his health care and other benefits, Harrison says the new

being of millions of people require that we meet this challenge.”

The Lancet Commission also called for more collaboration between health professionals and for HIV treatment to become better incorporated into other areas of health care.

This would mean an end to HIV “exceptionalism,” where specific funding and services are provided for HIV alone, and could include combining HIV screening with screening for other noncommunicable diseases, such as diabetes and high blood pressure.

In India, for example, if HIV testing and treatments were combined with those for

Department of Financial Services issued a directive that the exclusion of people on PrEP from life, disability, and long-term care insurance is unlawful discrimination. Filed in the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts, the motion also rebuts Mutual’s jurisdictional objections. Through strategic litigation, public policy advocacy, and education, GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders works in New England and nationally to create a just society free of discrimination based on gender identity and expression, HIV status, and sexual orientation.

Courtesy of GLAD

policy blocks soldiers living with HIV from achieving officer status.

“Soldiers, sailors, fighter pilots, and marines are seeing their promising careers cut short, their dreams of service shattered, and their health jeopardized due to antiquated notions about HIV and the stigma that results,” says Scott Schoettes, counsel and HIV Project Director at Lambda Legal.

It’s estimated that the futures of around 1,200 service members are now on the line.

syphilis among women sex workers and gay men, it could reduce the number of new HIV cases at a national level by 7% between 2018 and 2028, the report estimated.

“Health systems must be designed to meet the needs of the people they serve, including having the capacity to address multiple health problems simultaneously,” said Prof. Chris Beyrer. “No one can be left behind in our efforts to achieve sustainable health.”

About 37 million people worldwide live with HIV.

SENATE

amendment, which was added onto the House of Representatives’ version of the bill, would grant a “license to discriminate” in the provision of child welfare services, allowing child welfare placing agencies that receive federal government funding to turn away qualified prospective parents based on the agency’s religious beliefs. In the letter, the senators stress that they would work to block this amendment from becoming a part of a funding bill that originates in their chamber. Currently, the House bill has not been scheduled for floor debate. The Senate bill, which does not contain the provision, is expected to be considered on the floor in August.

“The 40 US senators opposing the House’s ‘license to discriminate’ amendment see it for what it is: a blatant attempt to discriminate against LGBTQ people while disregarding what is in the best interests of children,” said David Stacy, director of government affairs at the Human Rights Campaign. “As Congress continues to debate this funding bill, the HRC urges Congress to reject any discriminatory amendment that would target LGBTQ people and harm tens of thousands of children waiting for loving homes.”

In the letter, the senators write: “We strongly encourage you to reject this language and instead support federal laws and regulations barring discrimination, and protect the rights of all qualified parents who answer the call to foster and adopt children in foster care. These children deserve the welcoming and loving homes that so many parents of diverse backgrounds are yearning to provide.”

The amendment added in the House, as introduced by Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-AL), would have a sweeping, harmful impact in child welfare services by enabling discrimination against LGBTQ people, same-sex couples, interfaith couples, single parents, married couples in which one prospective parent has previously been divorced, or other qualified

parents to whom an agency has an objection. The lack of qualified prospective parents is the biggest barrier to finding homes for children in the child welfare system. Granting a federally sanctioned license to discriminate to the agencies entrusted to serve them will undoubtedly limit the pool of prospective parents based on factors that have nothing to do with the best interest of the children. This is an unconscionable use of taxpayer dollars.

The HRC recently released a report, titled “Disregarding the Best Interest of the Child: License to Discriminate In Child Welfare Services,” detailing the harms of

efforts to write anti-LGBTQ discrimination by child welfare agencies into law.

Statistics suggest that an estimated two million LGBTQ adults in the US are interested in adoption, but the LGBTQ community often remains an untapped resource when it comes to finding families for children and youth in foster care.

Research consistently shows that LGBTQ youth are overrepresented in the foster care system, due to a myriad of factors, including family rejection because of their LGBTQ status. Once in care, LGBTQ youth are especially vulnerable to discrimination and mistreatment. This type

of amendment will only exacerbate these challenges faced by LGBTQ young people.

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people. The HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work, and in every community.

Courtesy of the HRC

HRC responds to Michigan AG’s opinion that LGBTQ people are not protected under state’s civil rights law

DETROIT – [On July 20], the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization, responded to Michigan Attorney General – and candidate for governor – Bill Schuette’s formal opinion asserting that under the state’s Elliott Larson Civil Rights Act, LGBTQ residents are not protected from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The opinion conflicts with a Michigan Civil Rights Commission vote in May affirming the act covers discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

“Bill Schuette is unfit to serve as attorney general, and this latest outrageous act proves once again that he cannot represent all Michiganders equally and fairly,” said HRC Michigan State Director Amritha Venkataraman. “AG Schuette has chosen to ignore legal precedent and leave thousands of LGBTQ Michganders at risk of discrimination. Numerous federal courts have determined that discrimination against an individual based on their sexual orientation or gender identity is fundamentally a form of sex discrimination – which is prohibited both under federal law, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Michigan’s Elliott Larsen Civil Rights Act. The HRC is on the ground working hard to elect pro-equality champions who support commonsense protections for LGBTQ Michganders and ensure that Schuette never makes it to the governor’s mansion.”

Earlier this year, the Michigan Civil Rights Commission became the first commission of its kind in the nation to determine that laws prohibiting sex discrimination also prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

told lawmakers, “The possibility of marriage between two people strengthens our project’s principles of equality and justice.”

The draft constitution, currently being considered by the Cuban National Assembly, would also affirm “the principle of nondiscrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity” but probably would be silent on adoption rights, sources said.

The Cuban government began work on the new constitution as part of a package of reforms following the retirement of former President Raul Castro. Raul, younger brother of Fidel Castro, became President on July 31, 2006, and stepped down April 19 this year.

Raul is also the father of LGBTQ rights activist Mariela Castro, and Granma says that he himself proposed the new genderneutral marriage language.

In Cuban revolutionary history, “Granma” was the name of the boat that brought the Castro brothers, Che Guevara, and 79 of their comrades from exile in Mexico to Cuba in 1956. Three years later, they were in control of the country.

Fidel’s government was initially hostile to Cuba’s LGBT community, viewing them as “inherently counterrevolutionary” and a “deviation incompatible with the revolution.” Gay sex was legalized in 1979 but without any corresponding anti-discrimination protections for LGBT people and no partnership rights for same-sex couples.

Much of the country’s LGBT movement is centered around Mariela Castro, Fidel’s niece and Raul’s daughter, and the director of the Cuban National Center for Sex Education. Initially an activist for AIDS awareness, Mariela soon developed a broader LGBT rights agenda.

Mariela recently told reporters that she would push for LGBT rights as part of the

and gender identity. Other legal bodies –including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in Macy v. Holder (2012) and Baldwin v. Foxx (2015) – have similarly found that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects against discrimination based on sexual orientation. Numerous federal courts have also determined that sexual orientation and gender identity are forms of sex discrimination. The 6th Circuit, which covers Michigan, recently determined for the fourth time that federal laws prohibiting sex discrimination also prohibit gender identity discrimination in EEOC v. Harris Funeral Homes. Neighboring circuits have determined that sex also includes sexual orientation.

In Michigan, the HRC has identified more than 1.1 million “Equality Voters” –voters who support LGBTQ-inclusive policies, including marriage equality, equitable family law, and laws that would prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. The HRC has prioritized investments and organizing in Michigan in the 2018 cycle, and has already put staff and resources on the ground in the state. Last year, the HRC announced a coast-to-coast campaign called HRC Rising, which represents the largest grassroots expansion in the organization’s 38-year history.

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work, and in every community.

of the HRC

governmental reform process. LGBT activists “have the strength” to pursue change, she said, and the new president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, has “sensibilities and awareness” on LGBT issues.

In a 2010 interview with the Mexican newspaper La Jornada, Fidel apologized for his regime’s initial persecution of Cuba’s LGBT community, calling it “a

great injustice, a great injustice!”

“If anyone is responsible, it’s me,” he continued. “We had so many and such terrible problems, problems of life or death. In those moments, I was not able to deal with that matter. I found myself immersed, principally, in the [Cuban Missile Crisis], in the war, in policy questions.”

On New Year’s Eve 2016, former

“RuPaul’s Drag Race” contestant Mimi Imfurst became the first US drag queen to perform in Cuba, as a result of the normalization of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The cultural effects of the US embargo on Cuba soon became evident, when it was discovered that the Cuban dancers taking part in the show had never heard Madonna’s iconic “Express Yourself.”