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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 20, 2002)
aaptmbar 20. PflfT J t ü m X M h iew s D in n e r at My H o u s e remaias a rare occurrence because members of the majority are often reluctant to sign a petition against the wishes of their party’s leadership. A R IZ O N A T for “Many Californians worked very hard in support of this bill, and all of us— lesbians and gay men statewide— are indebted to Keith for sharing his painful personal story so legislators and the pub lic can understand the need for effective legal protections for our families.” he U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed Aug. 12 a lower court’s decision to dismiss an equal protection claim brought A ssembly Speaker Herb J. Wesson Jr. has against the Arizona Department of Corrections appointed lesbian Assemblywoman Chris by a same-sex couple who were not allowed to tine Kehoe, D-San Diego, as speaker pro tem hug or kiss during jail visits even though oppo pore of the California Assembly. site-sex couples enjoyed the same right. “Christine Kehoe represents the best of what After Karl Whitmire hugged his incarcerated California has to offer,” he said. “I am confident long-term partner, William Lyster, he was she will conduct the affairs of this House with warned that if it iiappened again, “it will he a long time" before they see each other. A depart ! grace and efficiency.” Kehoe was elected Nov. 7,2000. She has served ment policy states, “The following conduct shall as speaker pro tempore designate since February. he prohibited at visits...same-sex kissing, embracing (with the exception of relatives or ♦♦♦ immediate family) or petting.” '* ov. Gray Davis has signed legislation Whitmire and Lyster filed suit against the , J authorizing the boards of supervisors in state on the grounds that the discriminatory pol Santa Barbara, Marin and Los Angeles counties icy violated their rights. A lower court sided to adopt resolutions providing domestic partners with the state in dismissing the suit, and the of county employees survivor benefits that are plaintiffs appealed. currently available to spouses. “This is another The Ninth Circuit ruled that the policy step in the direction of providing equality for might violate Whitmire’s constitutional right to same-sex couples in California,” said Geoffrey equal protection. “This ruling underscores the Kors, California Alliance for Pride and Equality basic principle that no matter what the context, interim executive director. the government cannot treat lesbian and gay people differently simply because some people NEIN Y O R K disapprove of same-sex relationships,” attorney ay Democrat Danny O ’Dinnell, in his sec Courtney Joslin said. ond bid for state elective office, beat out The case now will return to the lower court seven other candidates to win an Assembly seat for further proceedings. ‘Prison administrators with 34 percent of the can have reasonable rules to protect prison safe vote Sept. 10. Although ty, hut they can’t arbitrarily penalize prisoners he has a Republican and visitors on the basis of sexual orientation,” opponent Nov. 5, the attorney Martha Matthews said. 69th District is so over whelmingly Demix:ratic C A L IF O R N IA that he is viewed as the gay California man whose partner died in presumptive victor. the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks— and He becomes the whose passionate testimony propelled legisla third openly gay or les tion to provide partial inheritance rights for reg bian person in the New istered domestic partners— attended the cere York Legislature, joining Danny O ’Donnell mony where Gov. Gray Davis signed the hill Assemblywoman Debo into law Sept. 10. rah Glick and Sen. Tom Diane, both D-Man- Keith Bradkowski’s partner, Jeff Collman, hattan. His sister is former talk show host Rosie was a flight attendant on American Airlines O ’Dinnell, who came out of the closet in March. Flight 11, the first plane that crashed into the World Trade Center. The couple, who had been in a committed relationship for 11 years, were N EW J E R S E Y registered domestic partners in California and T ov. James E. McGreevey signed the state’s mistakenly believed the law already included , i anti-harassment bill Sept. 6, heralding a inheritance protections. new era of legal protection for students. The “Keith’s situation would have been much New Jersey Assembly and Senate unanimously more straight-forward if this law had been in passed the legislation in June. effect a year ago,” said attorney Jennifer Pizer, The bill builds upon the states Law Against who represents Bradkowski with respect to the Discrimination, which prohibits bias in public federal Sept. 11 Victims Compensation Fund. institutions, including schixds, on the basis of real or perceived sexual orientation. This new legislation strengthens the existing legal obliga tions by including specific requirements for schools to adopt, implement and publicize poli cies and procedures for addressing instances of bullying and harassment. In addition, this makes New Jersey only the third state to include spe cific protections for trans students. In addition to the District of Columbia, eight states now legally protect students on the basis of sexual orientation and/or gender identity: Cali fornia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Vermont, Washington and Wiscon sin. Those laws cover only 11.9 million students, or 25 percent of the country’s schoolchildren. Rhode Island, while not having a legal mandate from the Legislature, does have a statewide regu lation from its education department protecting queer students from harassment. JH C T NOW THROUGH MARCH 1# 2003 S a tia t e your c u lin a ry c u rio sitie s * M a k e new friends S u p p o r t r e s i d e n t c a r e for m e n a n d w o m e n living with A I D S C Keith Bradkowski’s partner, Jeff Collman (left), was a flight attendant on the first plane that crashed into the World Trade Center Compiled by News Editor JlM R a p o STA, who can be reached at jimi&yustout.com. v For reservation s or information, call 503 / 736-9276 G r a c i o u s l y sp onsored by: C a p r i a l ' s Bistro • T h e G r e e n b r i e r C o m p a n i e s Just Ou t • Se a tt le 's Best • Ten Speed Press c 9 Ex p erien ce the joy! Ä visit W ’j 'JW .jjiJSt out,t OJIi jC c *C i 0 0 We now have a list of locations on-line where you can pick up J u s t O u t. course, you can still submit personal ads, classified ads, letters to the editor, i g group r o u p and u n u event listings and subscription orders! f U & 0 0 0 0 — | 19
