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c o m m e rc ia l cle a n in g services
effectively over the last few years educating leg
islators and the public on the issues surrounding
gender identity and expression,” said Jerimarie
Liesegang, Connecticut TransAdvocacy Coali
tion director. “Given the overwhelmingly posi
tive vote by both the Connecticut House and
Senate, we now urge Gov. Rowland to sign this
bill into law.”
UTAH
he American Civil Liberties Union has
come to the defense of a group of Salt Lake
City students who were punished for wearing
anti-smoking “Queers Kick Ash" T-shirts to
school. Officials also threatened to ban the
school’s Gay Straight Alliance, and dozens of
students wore the T-shirts May 11 in protest.
In a letter sent to Hillcrest High School,
attorneys demanded that officials remove any
suspensions from the students’ records, allow
them to wear the shirts without fear of punish
ment and drop threats against the G SA . “The
Supreme Court has firmly established that stu
dents have a constitutional right to political
speech and expression, and when Queer Eye for
the Straight Guy is one of the most popular pro
grams on television and universities all over the
country have queer theory and queer studies pro
grams, there’s no doubt that it’s a commonly used
political term,” attorney Tamara Lange said.
Three students who wore the shirts were
punished May 6 by assistant principal David
Breen, who told them that the shirts were in
appropriate and that he disapproved of the word
“queer.” Two gay male students were given three
options: taking the shirts off, turning them
inside out or suspension. One turned his shirt
inside out and was allowed to stay at school; the
other refused and was suspended. A heterosexu
al girl who wore the same shirt was given an
additional fourth option of being sent home for
the day without suspension, which she accepted.
When more students wore the shirts to
school and were similarly punished May 7,
Breen also threatened to bring the G SA , which
wasn’t involved in distributing the T-shirts, to “a
screeching halt.”
T
After being rejected by Adoption.com, Rich and
Michael Butler adopted a daughter, Emily Celine
C A L IF O R N IA
n a decision issued May 2, a federal district
court judge ruled that a suit against
Adoption.com for discriminating against same-
sex couples can proceed to trial.
Adoption.com is the largest adoption-related
Internet business in the United States. Among
other for-profit services, it pennits prospective
adoptive parents to post their personal profiles
in hopes of connecting with potential birth
mothers. It does not, however, permit same-sex
couples to post their profiles.
In 2002, it refused to accept an application
from San Jose residents Rich and Michael But
ler, who have been together eight years and
who sought to post their profiles on one of
Adoption.com’s Web sites. The couple filed a
lawsuit challenging this policy under California
law, which prohibits businesses from discrimi
nating on the basis of sexual orientation.
In an initial victory for the Butlers, Judge
Phyllis Hamilton rejected Adoption.com s argu
ment that it does not have to comply with state
nondiscrimination laws, stating: “Here, the bur
dens posed on defendants— allowing same-sex
couples to he listed on their Web sites— do not
clearly exceed the benefits, which include pro
viding prospective birth mothers with a greater
number of potential adoptive parents from
which to chcx)se, possibly leading to a greater
likclihixxl that children will he placed in a sta
ble home."
Kate Kendell, National Center for Lesbian
Rights executive director, said: “ Hamilton’s rul
ing is a victory for all children in
this state. We are long past the
day when adoption agencies or
businesses can exclude loving,
competent
parents
simply
because they are lesbian or gay.”
I
C O N N E C TIC U T
R
TE X A S
I
n response to a demand letter from attorneys,
Lago Vista High Schcx)l has “suspended” its
policy prohibiting same-sex prom dates in time
for student Sherrell Ingram to bring her best
friend, another female, as her guest to the dance.
In seeking relief from the schools discrimi
natory policy, Ingram and her mother, Ginger
White, were represented by People for the
American Way Foundation. In a letter sent
May 3 to principal Donna Larkin, the organiza
tion insisted that the school drop its discrimina
tory policy, or it would leave the family no
choice but to file a lawsuit.
“ I’m delighted with this result,” attorney
Jeremy D. Wright said. “Now Sherrell can con
centrate on other pressing issues, like finding a
pair of shoes to match her prom dress.”
In,addition to the fact that the policy pro
hibited Ingram, who is not gay, from taking her
friend to the prom, she and her mother were
concerned that it unfairly and illegally discrimi
nated against gay students. Attorneys explained
to Larkin that the policy constituted unlawful
and unconstitutional sex discrimination. V^hh
the prom scheduled for May 15, the letter gave
the school a deadline of May 7 to avoid legal
action.
In a letter sent May 7, counsel for the Lago
Vista Independent School District stated that
while the district does not agree with People
for the American Way’s analysis of the legal
issues, the prom attendance guidelines will be
suspended “for the remainder of this year until
the district has an opportunity to further eval
uate its role in the sponsorship of school social
activities.”
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After Nikki Youngblood was told she could not
wear a jacket and tie for her senior yearbook
picture, her mom paid for a separate photo
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FLO R IDA
F
ormer Robinson High School student Nikki
Youngblood and the Hillsborough County
School Board have agreed to a settlement that
brings to a close her two-year lawsuit challeng
ing a policy requiring girls to wear an ultra
feminine scoop neck drape for their senior
portraits, the National Center for Lesbian
Rights announced May 7.
Male students were permitted to wear tra
ditional professional attire— a white shirt and
tie of their choosing. This policy, based on
outdated notions of “appropriate” female
attire, is strictly enforced by the school and its
agents.
Youngblood and her mother objected to
the requirement that she wear traditionally
feminine attire and asked school officials to
permit her to appear in her photo wearing a
formal shirt and jacket. Administrators refused
to provide her with any alternative, insisting
that she must either wear the drape or he
excluded from the yearbook. As a result, she
was not included in the yearbtxik
with the other seniors.
Under the new policy agreed to
as part of the settlement agreement,
the sch(X)l must allow for exemp
tions from any sex-differentiated
dress axles.
“I’m just happy that no other
female student will have to be
excluded from her senior yearbook
just because she doesn’t want to
conform to someone else’s gender
stereotypes,” Youngblood said. “All
along my goal has been to make
sure that no other student has to go
through what I did. With this set
tlement, I believe we have achieved
that goal." JF !
epublican Gov. John Row
land is being urged to sign
into law a hate crimes measure
passed by a strong bipartisan
coalition. House Bill 5657 would
amend existing hate crimes law
to include gender identity and
expression and disability.
The Connecticut Senate
passed the measure April 30 by a
vote of 33-0, with three absten
Compiled by News Editor
tions. The House passed the bill
Activists are urging Connecticut Gov. John Rowland (left, with President JlM R adü STA, who can be reached at
by a 139-4 vote April 22.
] tm@justout.com.
“We have worked hard and Bush at the White House) to sign a trans-inclusive hate crimes bill
regon Camera
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