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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (April 18, 2003)
api J la. 2003 m rm ^new s 23 CO LDW eLL B A N K E R □ tion in dealing with health care providers. Fewer than half of queer adults disclose their sexual orientation to their health provider, according to a December 2002 survey. T he poll also indicated gay, lesbian, bi and trans people are less likely to have health insurance than their straight counterparts. “People who work in public health depart m ents are very dedicated to improving the health of all persons, and they know it makes sense for people to be treated equally,” said Ken Haller, Gay and Lesbian Medical Association president. “For certain legislators to pull back these protections is at very least questionable and, at most, blatantly discriminatory, not to m ention just bad medicine.” NEW YORK M att Foreman, Empire S tate Pride A genda executive director, was nam ed A pril 4 as executive director of the N ational G ay and Lesbian Task Force. T h e longtim e activist will take the helm from Lorri L. Jean after h er c o n tract expires in May and after they have worked together for two weeks to facilitate a sm ooth transition. "We interviewed a diverse pool of very strong candidates and felt M att was exactly what the task force needed. W e’re thrilled h e’ll he joining us,” said Margaret Burd, NGLTF hoard co-chairw om an. “H e is a dynam ic activist, a proven manager and an effective fund-raiser who is supremely dedicated to our cause and has enjoyed extraordinary success working on behalf o f G LBT people.” Foreman lives w ith his partner of 13 years, Francisco De Leon, in M anhattan. COLORADO f he House passed an am endm ent April 1 to I repeal discrimination protections in Medic aid and emergency medical care from state law. S enate Bill 88 cam e up for consideration as part of dn annual review o f state regula tions. If passed, it would repeal a rule p ro hibiting discrim ination based on age, sex, religion, race, sexual o rien tatio n , political belief, physical diagnosis, handicap o r dis ability in M edicaid and em ergency medical services. T h e am endm ent now goes to th e state S enate for debate. T he bill would be particularly dangerous for members of the sexual minorities community, who often have to face barriers of discrimina Sharon Smith Diane W hipple he Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network has demanded clarification of com ments published April 7 from the U.S. education secretary suggesting that public schools should incorporate Christian values. The statements appeared in an article titled “Rod Paige: America’s Education Evangelist” in The Baptist Press, the news service of the Southern Baptist Convention. According to GLSEN executive director Kevin Jennings, Paige’s comments appear not only in direct conflict with core U.S. principles separating church and state but are offensive to the administrators, educators and students of diverse religious faiths who fill U.S. public schools. , “The language of religious values— particular ly ‘Christian values’— has often been misused to isolate or denigrate lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people,” he said. "For Secretary Paige to suggest that the tenets of any particular religion have a place in public education is an exceeding ly dangerous breach of the constitutional separa tion of church and state and of tremendous con cern for safe schools advocates who seek to protect LGBT students and staff from harassment, vio lence and discrimination in schools.” In the article, Paige asserted that Christian schools and universities are growing as a result of a "strong value system” th at is lacking in pub lic schools where “there are so many kids with different kinds of values.” He offered his prayers to those who disagree with his position that reli gion has a place in U.S. public schools. Bob Chase, N ational Education Association past president and GLSEN board member, expressed deep concern, noting: “As the highest education official in this nation, he must learn to see diversity as an incredibly rich resource for thought and ideas. T he values of hard work, respect and responsibility— values taught every day in America’s public schools— transcend any singular set of religious beliefs.” ere is an update on the state’s pro-gay legislation: • Assembly Bill 205 successfully passed its first com m ittee hearing April 1. It would pro vide registered domestic partners and their families nearly all the rights and responsibilities available to married couples under state law, including child custody and child support obligations, com m unity property, m utual responsibility for debt and the ability to make funeral arrangements. W itnesses speaking on behalf of the bill included Lydia Ramos, who movingly shared the horrifying circumstances she faced after th e death of her partner last year, including a court battle for custody of her daughter. Also present were Sharon Sm ith, who fought for the right to sue for wrongful death after her partner, Diane W hipple, was killed in an in famous San Francisco dog-mauling case, as well as Keith Bradkowski, who experienced numerous legal problems after his partner was killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. T he bill passed on a party-line vote. Every Democrat on the com m ittee voted in favor of it, w ith th e exception of H annah-B eth Jackson of Santa Barbara, who abstained. • T h e Judiciary C o m m ittee approved Assembly Bill 17 by a 10-2 vote April 1. It would prohibit state agencies from contracting with businesses that discriminate in providing benefits to their employees with spouses or domestic partners. T he bill will be heard in the Appropriations C om m ittee next m onth. To address the concerns of religious-based organizations, the measure includes a provision allowing employers to provide equal benefits without asking employees’ marital or domestic partnership status. For employers who have reli gious objections to domestic partnership, bene fits can be provided to “a legally domiciled member of the employee’s household.” • The Hum an Services C om m ittee passed Assembly Bill 458 on a party-line vote of 4-2 April 8. It would protect foster youth, foster parents, other foster household members and foster agency staff from discriminatory treat m ent and harassment based on sexual orienta tion, gender identity and HIV/AIDS status. In addition, it requires foster parents and other caregivers to receive training on the n o n discrimination requirements. It now will go to the Appropriations Com m ittee. • The Appropriations Com m ittee passed a historic civil rights measure April 2 that would prohibit housing and workplace discrimination based on gender stereotyping. Assembly Bill 196 now goes to the floor for a vote. T h e legislation needed 13 votes to pass the co m m ittee. A ll eig h t R epublicans voted against it, and 17 Democrats voted for it, w ith one Democrat, Lou C orrea of S an ta A na, voting no. j n VIRGINIA V “F or Your P alm S p rin g s P lace in th e Sun” 431 South Palm Canyon Palm Springs, CA 92262 CALIFORNIA irginia Tech’s board of visitors reversed itself at a meeting April 6 and restored sexual ori entation to the university’s nondis crimination policy. The board voted March 10 to remove sexual orientation be cause, it said, federal and state laws offer no protections based on sexu al orientation. The move generat ed tremendous outcry from stu dents and civil rights groups. T he board dropped sexual o rien tatio n from th e school’s nondiscrim ination policy in an attem pt to ward off potential lawsuits, according to The Colle giate Times, the school’s newspa per. However, a university spokesman suggested the Former N E A chief Bob Chase expressed deep concern about changes were based more on per Education Secretary Rod Paige’s assertion that religion has a sonal political agendas of board members than legal fact. place in U .S. public schools EADIE ADAMS REALTY Bus: (760) 778-5500 Fax: (760) 323-7832 Cell/Pgr:- (760) 774-0685 E-mail: ccsvs@aol.com NATIONAL T M att Foreman Ls taking the reins at the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force A t least 383 colleges and universities across the nation have written nondiscrim ination policies covering sexual orientation, including 11 in Virginia. 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