The House Education and Labor Committee was supposed to hold a markup hearing and vote on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, a piece of legislation that would ban employers from firing individuals due to their sexual orientation or gender identity. However, the committee sent out an email late in the day yesterday saying that the vote has been postponed, "rescheduled TBA."
Although the legalization of same-sex marriage has taken the forefront of the debate in LGBT issues, many feel this legislation is a key component of civil rights. While marriage often gets mucked up with religious debates, ENDA is often seen as a reasonable advancement for civil rights that has to do with workplace security. The ACLU reports that it is legal to fire or refuse to hire someone because of their sexual orientation currently in 29 states. It is also legal to practice job discrimination against someone due to gender identity in 38 states.
ENDA would actually make a difference for those LGBT individuals that feel they have been treated unfairly in the workplace. It's unclear when the House committee will reschedule the vote, but let's hope it's soon.
Although Maine's "No On 1" campaign, an effort to reject a ballot initiative overturning same-sex marriage in Maine, got much attention, it was ultimately unsuccessful. (For those who are counting, Maine rejected gay marriage by a 4-point margin, and California's Prop. 8 measure passed by 5 points.) Meanwhile, Washington state confirmed Referendum 71, estimated to pass with just over 51 percent of the vote. The AP reports, "Five states have legalized gay marriage — Iowa, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Connecticut — but all did so through legislation or court rulings, not by popular vote."
So does this mean that same-sex marriage doesn't pass when put up to a popular vote but same-sex domestic partnerships do? The election results of these two states hardly serve as projection for the rest of the country. After all, Washington state is small and has a firm socially liberal base in Seattle. But if the question is fundamentally about rights, the LGBT community may have to consider if they'd be willing to settle for equalizing rights though domestic partnerships or if they'd have to do a lot more grassroots work to make folks comfortable with letting teh gayz into the insitution of marriage.
The Flat Hat, College of William and Mary's daily newspaper reports that the homecoming queen this year should be referred to as "zir." Sophomore Jessee Vasold, a transgender student, was elected homecoming queen last Wednesday. Vasold has a female Facebook identity Kathy Middlesex (sadly, Middlesex's profile isn't public).
This is also a return to popular voting, conducted through the alumni website, for homecoming queen. Previous homecoming queens were appointed by class officers from student-driven nominations. Congrats to Vasold!
Last night Gossip Girl, one of my big guilty pleasure shows (but mostly for the hilarious Daily Intel roundups the next day), featured a kiss between two male characters: Chuck Bass (played by Ed Westwick) and Josh Ellis (played by Neal Bledsoe).
Inside Higher Ed reports that Morehose has gotten serious about its status as an "elite" historically black college. (Full disclosure: Campus Progress once held a regional conference on Morehouse's campus.) They have adopted a dress code that encourages its students to be "well read, well spoken, well traveled, well dressed and well balanced." As a single-sex institution that has an all-female counterpart, Spellman, Morehouse created a policy so their men will be "well dressed":
Caps, do-rags and hoods are banned in classrooms, the cafeteria and other indoor venues. Do-rags may not be worn outside of the residence halls.
Sunglasses may not be worn in class or at formal programs.
Jeans may not be worn at major programs such as convocation, commencement or Founder's Day.
Clothing with "derogatory, offensive and/or lewd messages either in words or pictures" may not be worn.
"Sagging," defined as "the wearing of one’s pants or shorts low enough to reveal undergarments or secondary layers of clothing," is banned.
Pajamas are banned in public areas.
Wearing of "clothing associated with women’s garb (for example, dresses, tunics, purses, handbags, pumps, wigs, make-up, etc.)" is banned.
Understandably, LGBT students are protesting the policy. The administration claims this policy isn't about its LGBT students and is instead focused on "all students," saying that Morehouse is supportive of its LGBT students. But Morehouse's site doesn't list LGBT as groups that students can get involved with on campus, instead favoring "Greek life" and "athletics."
The policy sets a standard of what "well dressed" means without taking into account students that may not identify with this particular type of dress. Even students that don't identify as falling outside of gender norms may have problems with the school's effort to restrict other clothing items that are popular at other HBCUs.
(The photo above was one I took at a bar in Grand Forks, N.D. that banned certain types of clothing, supposedly to prevent "gang members" from entering the establishment.)
Yesterday Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) signed a bill in California that would recognize same-sex marriages from other states. Other states and the District of Columbia have begun recognizing same-sex marriages from the seven states where they're legal. For many states, it becomes a way of supporting LGBT marriage rights if it's not politically possible to pass same-sex marriage at home. This is certainly good news for LGBT rights in California.
Today the Family Research Council's big event of the year is kicking off here in Washington, D.C. The overtly right-wing Christian group chose to kick off their major even on Rosh Hashannah, the Jewish new year and high holy day. It's hard to say if this was accidental (i.e. they don't know anyone who is Jewish and were therefore unaware of such a holiday existing) or intentional.
You can check out FRC's Live Feed of the event here, but one of the major draws this year, Carrie "Miss California" Prejean already spoke. She basically related her version of responding to Perez Hilton's question about gay marraige earlier this year. She said one the question was asked, she did her best to "stand there and look pretty" but says she's "proud" that she gave that answer. She also thinks that saying "no offense" somehow shows that she has respect for gays and lesbians in America. Awesome.
Thanks to the publication of The Meaning of Matthew, Judy Shepard's new book on her son's life, the hate crimes legislation resulting from the horrible scene of Matthew Shepard's death is back in the news. But as his mother's book discloses, Matthew Shepard wasn't an angelic figure in life even though he has turned into martyr in death.
Gabriel Arana's piece on this subject is something I find a little problematic. He seems to blame Judy Shepard because she "ultimately falls back on eulogistic platitudes."
The Princeton Review regularly is criticized for its ranking system, which is based on surveys of students -- a system that critics find unscientific even by the standards of college rankings. At the same time, the Princeton Review is popular with students in part for providing analyses of many unofficial issues, such as which institution is the top "party school." On Thursday, the Princeton Review was attacked by a gay rights group, Campus Pride, for using its regular surveys (which on many campuses may be filled out largely by straight people) to rate colleges on how gay-friendly they are. “This list is an erroneous, misleading indicator of acceptance for LGBT youth and their safety on campus,” said Shane Windmeyer, founder and executive director of Campus Pride (which does its own "index" on colleges for gay students, based more on policies or programs than a broad student survey). Robert Franek, senior vice president and publisher of the Princeton Review, noted in an interview that many gay groups have praised his publication for making gay inclusiveness a measure of college quality. Franek also said that his publication believes students "are the experts" and so he sees no reason to change the methodology.
I was particularly interested to see this because I wasn't impressed to begin with by Princeton Review's treatment of LGBT students' college experience—the fact that they used the phrase "gay-friendly" instead of "LGBT-friendly" and titled the list of the least welcoming schools with the phrase "alternative lifestyles" says a lot about how much they sought to get a sense of the LGBT communities on the campuses they surveyed (the survey question, "Is there very little discrimination against homosexuals?" sounds as if it hasn't been revised since the 1960s). And as Campus Pride (an awesome organization, by the way) said in a press release:
Their rankings were based off one single question asked to 122,000 students at the 371 top colleges -- whether they agreed or disagreed with the following statement: “Students, faculty, and administrators treat all persons equally regardless of their sexual orientation and gender identity/expression.”
“This list is an erroneous, misleading indicator of acceptance for LGBT youth and their safety on campus,” said Shane Windmeyer, founder and executive director of Campus Pride and the author of The Advocate College Guide for LGBT Students, the first-ever guide profiling the 100 Best LGBT-Friendly Colleges, released in 2006 by Alyson Books. “The majority of students responding to such a question – irrespective of response – will be straight. Their perceptions of equality are likely quite different from those of LGBT students.”
To me, this makes perfect sense.
Campus Pride uses its own methodology to rate—instead of rank—colleges on a variety of criteria including availability of gender-neutral housing/restrooms, LGBT-related course offerings, student organizations, staff diversity training, and that sort of thing (interestingly enough, Princeton gets five stars out of five—which makes sense, as its institutional community really is one of the very best—it's the organic, noninstitutional community that could use some work). Looking at Campus Pride's list is an interesting counterpart to some of the weirdness of the Princeton Review list—such as the suggestion that Stanford is more LGBT-friendly than Reed or Simon's Rock—or indeed Berkeley, which doesn't appear at all on Princeton Review's list, but which offered the first undergraduate queer studies course in the country, as early as 1970.
Rankings are so pointless that it's pointless to discuss how pointless they are, and so it seems worthwhile, I think, to draw a contrast between using criteria to grade an entity on how well it accomplishes something and trying to put the entity in a list that compares apples and oranges—Princeton Review puts liberal arts colleges and research universities, religious schools and military academies, all together, and that's just not sensible.
Oh yeah, and I have one final question for Princeton Review. Why, in their "Alternative Lifestyles Not an Alternative" list, are the five military academies (which actively discriminate against LGBT students under Don't Ask Don't Tell) not at the very top? That alone should be enough to call Princeton Review's rankings into question.
Last Tuesday, student voters at American River College (ARC), Sacramento’s largest community college, threw out the homophobic, right-wing student council and elected an almost full slate of progressives from “ARC Students for Change.”
There is an active Campus Progress chapter at ARC that has been heavily involved in all the recent fights against this conservative force. Since taking office last October, ARC Students for Liberty, headed by anti-gay activist Yuriy Popko, have:
Released a student government resolution in favor of California’s Proposition 8
Opposed the national Day of Silence, a day meant to highlight anti-gay bullying and discrimination
Refused to fund Earth Day celebrations and an annual multicultural-night event
Attempted to cancel a campus-wide punk concert because they believe the music promotes “immoral behavior”
Slashed funding for the Inter-Club Council where all student groups get their money
Campus Progress Student Representatives at American River College (ARC) in Sacramento, California are working feverishly along with other members of the ARC progressive community to make sure that their campus is not used to support anti-equality policies like California’s Proposition 8.
When the ARC’s Student Council decided to take up a resolution supporting the proposition, which would outlaw same sex marriage, students swung into action by packing the student council meeting to show their opposition. They also collected twice the number of signatures needed for the council members to be recalled. Unfortunately, the resolution was passed, but it is abundantly clear that the vote did not accurately reflect the will of the student body.
You can watch Nancy Dziuba, one of the two Campus Progress Student Representatives on the campus, on the local Fox station speaking about some of the intimidation that members of the progressive and GLBT community have faced at ARC recently:
One thing that can be said about the current generation of young gays is that they are a smart and ambitious lot. Eugene Resnick, an openly gay candidate for National Membership Director of the College Democrats, definitely fits that mold. He's focused, savvy and "cliched as it sounds" committed to making a difference.
I had the chance to ask Eugene some questions about being openly gay, youth political involvement and why being a "gay Russian Jew from Brooklyn" can be an asset.
MC: There is more than a little hand-wringing from some older people over what they see as a lack of political involvement from younger people. You are clearly not living up to that image.
ER: I hope that I can make a difference in our society as cliché as that sounds. I want to raise the voice of those who have no voice. I understand what its like to be the one that's counted out. I see many young people who are very engaged and very much care about the society we live in and the changes we need enacted. Our generation understands the complexities ahead and the deep institutional problems that this country has faced.
For us, race, gender and sexuality don't really matter anymore as a factor in judgment of one's character. We are for the most part the first generation that transcends such superficial human traits and sees everyone on the same playing field. I hope to remain active, continue on by earning a higher education in law and public policy, and eventually serve the public by running for office. In the meantime, I hope to do whatever I can to engage my fellow young people in the political process so that they can be active members of our thriving democracy.
What Makes Eugene Run?
MC: Is that why you want to be National Membership Director for the College Democrats?
ER: I am running because I believe I have the foresight, experience, and passion needed to be successful in this position. The National Membership Director position requires an individual with an ability to build coalitions between groups and establish friendships and contacts with people that are not usual coalition partners.
With an election year this year that has so much Democratic enthusiasm for our candidate, Barack Obama, there is so much potential for massive growth in terms of membership in College Democrats organizations throughout the country. We can expand into all 50 states, forming local and state chapters at schools that have never had a College Democrats organization. There are many students across the country who feel ostracized for being a Democrat especially in more conservative regions, and this must end.
At a time with so much enthusiasm for change, there is much potential to be tapped into in terms of youth activism and involvement in politics that has not been seen since the 1960s. The role of the National Membership Director is to spearhead new chapters, get more students involved in College Democrats, and outreach to individuals of all backgrounds to ensure the Democratic Party grows and further diversifies. I believe I can help make that happen.
MC: What are some of the skills and experiences that make you qualified for that role?
ER: I served as Minority and Women's Affairs Coordinator at the University Democrats at the University of Virginia reaching out to various Black, Latino, Asian, LGBT and Women's groups on campus to get them more politically involved and have a voice within the Democratic Party. I formed the first ever statewide College Democrats organization in Virginia bringing together students from across the state to bring to the forefront the voice of college students in the Commonwealth.
My tenure as President of the statewide organization resulted in the recent merger with the Virginia Young Democrats forming a massive young Democratic organization in Virginia poised to register large amounts of new young voters, have their voices heard by getting them to the polls, but mostly importantly have young people engaged in the American political discourse. I currently am interning in Washington, DC with the National Stonewall Democrats specifically working on field operations across the country, helping chapters build membership and outreach along with helping them target certain races this election cycle.
Being Gay Not What it Used to Be
MC: Has been openly gay hurt or helped you in taking on leadership roles with the College Democrats?
ER: Being openly gay has helped me in taking on leadership roles with the College Democrats. My first election was when I ran for Minority and Women's Affairs Coordinator at the University Democrats at the University of Virginia. I ran on the platform of not only being a fresh face, but also by taking ownership of my multiple minority identity. I was the "gay Russian Jew from Brooklyn" running in a race in a majority white, Anglo-Saxon Protestant, institution in the South.
One might think I was tokenized into the minority leadership role, but I stood up as a voice for the LGBT community at the University on the Board of Directors. Now I have risen up the ladder into leadership statewide. I have a large network of friends and colleagues with whom I am politically and academically involved who serve as my support system. I have never felt hindered being openly gay and that is a reflection of how our generation is so vastly different from any other in American history.
MC: What do you say to other young people to help them realize their political power?
ER: Facebook is a powerful tool and it has proven to be an extremely effective way of mobilizing people to become involved in a cause. I tell other young people I meet who may be cynical or wary of politics if at all interested is that that they have a stake in society. Young people today are vastly different from generations before and there are a multitude of problems that this country is facing today that need to be fixed and we are the generation to make it happen. We are over the race divisions of the 50s and 60s and the gay baiting of the 80s and 90s. We grew up with gay Student Body Presidents, blacks and whites, Latinos and Asians sitting at the same table, and females occupying a majority of the education system. We are Generation Y.
I let people know that there must be an issue that affects them whether its outrageous gas prices, denial of their civil rights as gay or black or Latino or an immigrant, predatory student loans that haunt students for years to come, high college costs, difficulty getting health insurance as a young independent person, or having their friends or family member die for a war that was poorly executed and under false pretenses. I tell them that they have a stake in this election and in the future with all these issues that impact them one way or another.
During both my trips to Pride, and the Be-Bar I met QT ATAC, which is organizing a series of queer and trans friendly events in DC. QT ATAC, is a collective of queer and trans folk organizing in DC to help improve the queer and trans community though July by setting up at least one if not several events each day in DC each day. So far they've had some really good events, and they'll definitely have more. If you're thinking of going to their events, which I recommend please note that they have marked on their site which locations are wheelchair accessible, and which are open to allies. Read More »
I just had the awesome privilege of witnessing the last evaaar show of DC local band Secrets between Sailors. These four queer ladies play a lovely, strummable, hummable blend of what they call "Raw Cuddle Core," but we're losing three of the members to the Bay Area. Read More »
4 out of 5 LGBT students report verbal, sexual or physical harassment at school, according to a GLSEN survey.
Today, April 25th, 2008, marks the 12th Annual Day of Silence, a day where students vow to take a pledge of silence to commemorate anti-LGBT violence and bullying and work to make campuses safe for people of all gender and sexual identities.
I'm already nervous about the scary comments this post will generate...
Transgender male, Thomas Beatie, writes a first person narrative at The Advocate detailing the personal, legal, and social hurdles he faces now that he's decided to carry the child of his wife, Nancy.
A 15–year-old gay student, Lawrence King, was shot by a classmate in Oxnard, California on Tuesday morning (approximately 60 miles north of Los Angeles and 40 miles south of Santa Barbara).
San Jose State University's President put all campus blood drives on hold because of the policy that gay men can't donate blood. He says this violates the school's nondiscrimination policy.
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