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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (June 18, 2004)
nTÎTTTïïTTÎTI news FREE ONE WEEK PASS ¡FITNESS FOR EVERT BODY CENTER SOUTH CAROLINA espite feverish last-minute efforts, the Legis lature ended its regular session June 3 with out approving proposed legislation that sought to prohibit not only the recognition of same-sex marriages performed in any other jurisdiction hut void “any public act, record or judicial proceed ing” that extends benefits to “nonmarital rela tionships" such as domestic partnerships or civil unions. O ne of these so-called “Super DOMA" (Defense of Marriage Act) hills passed the House by a 93-7 vote March 17 hut stalled in the Senate. “This is a major victory,” said M att Foreman, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force executive director. “It shows that determined leaders can win against incredible odds.” South Carolina queers united to thwart the proposal, raising a war chest, hiring a well- regarded lobbyist and mounting a constituent pressure campaign focused on the Senate. In the closing hours of the session, the House attached the amendm ent to several unrelated pieces of legislation in the hopes of forcing a Senate vote. These efforts failed for a number of reasons, including a filibuster by one senator objecting to a gubernatorial appointment. With this win, South Carolina became the ninth state where efforts to pass anti-marriage con stitutional amendments have failed in legislatures this year. The others are Alabama, Arizona, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland and Minnesota. Anti-gay forces have succeeded in placing anti-marriage constitutional amendm ents on the ballot in seven states: Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, O klahoma and U tah. A nother six states are at risk to have an amendm ent on the ballot. I Civil rights leader Julian Bond discouraged black legislators from amending the Louisiana C onstitution to ban same-sex marriage LOUISIANA he Legislature has passed an am endm ent to the Louisiana C onstitution that would ban same-sex marriage as well as deny civil unions and domestic partnerships to unmarried couples. T he measure will appear on the Sept. 18 ballot and must be approved by voters. House Bill 61 passed the House by an 87-11 vote May 18 and the Senate by a 31 -6 vote June 9. It then returned to the House, which June 15 voted 88-13 to accept changes made by the Senate. “We’ll work to educate voters about the real harm this will do to their own family, friends, neighbors and co-workers in Louisiana," said Chris Daigle, executive director of Equality Louisiana. “We’ll also make clear that this amendment is not only discriminatory, it’s also unnecessary." This measure proposes to amend the state constitution to declare that marriage is only between a man and a woman and that "any legal status identical or substantially similar to that of marriage for unmarried individuals shall not he valid or recognized." The effects of this measure could implicate the domestic partner registry in New Orleans as well as the domestic partner benefits extended to city employees, as well as tying the hands of localities and the Legislature T from extending any types of rights or benefits to same-sex couples. The amendment had significant mainstream resistance. Every major newspaper in the state editorialized against it, and civil rights leader Julian Bond sent letters to members of the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus in opposition. <- L awsuits were filed in federal court this m onth against five Louisiana nursing homes that refused to care for stroke victim Cecil Little because he has HIV. In July 2003, Lambda Legal filed a complaint on the 50-year-old’s behalf with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights, arguing that the Jon Givner homes violated the Federal Rehabilitation Act, which prohibits facilities receiving federal funds from discriminating against people with disabilities. According to attorney Jon Givner, the circumstance faced by Little and his family is a growing issue as many people with HIV live longer and require different kinds of health care services— many of which have nothing to do with HIV. In February 2003, Little suffered two strokes and brain aneurysms, leaving him on life sup port and in a coma for a month. A few weeks before he was discharged from the hospital, his mother and sister approached Tangi Pines, a nursing home within six miles of their house. It agreed to care for Little hut— after learning of his HIV status— backed out just three days before he was due to arrive. Five other nearby nursing homes also revoked their agreements to provide care. Even tually, out of desperation, the family had no choice hut to move Little into a facility 80 miles away— where he lived for four months. Kentwixxl Manor, one of the homes that ini tially rejected him, agreed late last summer to take him in after the discrimination complaints were filed. The complaint against that home has been dropped. another civil rights statute. But the 6th Circuit ruled that the trial court erred. “In the 6th Circuit, it is no longer permissible for an employer to discriminate against an employee on the basis of stereotypes about gen der nonconfonnity—even when the sole basis of nonconformity is the mere admission by a person of self-identification as a transsexual," attorney Randi Bamabee said. “They can no longer get away with sex discrimination against a gender- nonconforming person simply because that per son can be labeled transgender or transsexual.” Historically, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 has not been interpreted to cover trans people. However, most of those cases were decided before 1989’s Price Waterhouse vs. Hopkins— the first Supreme Court case to con clude that Title VII prohibited sex stereotyping. KANSAS he Kansas Supreme Court has agreed to consider an appeal on behalf of a gay teen ager who was sentenced to 17 years in prison for consensual oral sex, attorneys announced May 27. Matthew Limon has already been in prison for four years and three months— 3 1/2 times longer than the maximum sentence he would have received if he were heterosexual. In February 2000, Limon and another male teen-ager were students at a co ed residential school for developmentally disabled youth in Miami County. A week after Limon’s 18th birth day, he performed coasensual oral sex on the other teen-ager, who was nearly 15— three years, one month and a few days younger than Limon. Limon was convicted under Kansas’ “Romeo and Juliet” law, which gives much lighter sentences to hetero sexual teen-agers who have sex with younger teens but specifically excludes gay teen-agers. “Because he had sex with another male, Matthew Limon will be in prison until he’s 35 years old,” said Dick Kurtenhach, American Civil Liberties U nion of Kansas and Western Missouri executive director. “For Kansas to sen tence a gay person 13 times more harshly than it would a heterosexual for the same offense is clearly unconstitutional.” Convenient downtown location 2-bour validated parking 25-yard swimming pool Full size Ixisketball court Aro long term contracts required Co-ed facility eliminating racism empowering women ywca We honor diversity. Ask about our couple rates! 111 1 SW 10th Ave • Portland,OR 97205 (Corner o f I (Mb & Main Behind the Portland Art Museum) (503) 294-7419 Membership Office T FLORIDA he Log Cabin Republicans called on Gov. OHIO Jeb Bush to repudiate anti-gay statements federal court issued a historic ruling June 1 made by his office in a May 20 constituent letter. The correspondence, referring to basic pro asserting that transsexual employees are tections for gays and lesbians, claims he “is not protected against workplace discrim ination in favor of extending ‘special rights’ to the gay under existing law. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court and lesbian com m unity” of Appeals— which covers and “believes that the state Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky should not be in the busi and Tennessee— ruled that ness of actively sanctioning Title VII protects trans this particular lifestyle.” sexuals and that the sex T he letter voices Bush’s stereotyping dextrine cov opposition not only to civil ers people who change marriage equality but also to their sex, marking the first “gay and lesbian adoptions such ruling by a federal and the extension of domes appeals court. tic partner benefits.” The plaintiff, Jimmie “These statements are Smith—a pre-operative, pre- out of step with mainstream transitional transsexual— Florida families,” said Patrick was working as a firefighter Guerriero, Log Cabin execu in Salem when she began to tive director. “They are opin transition from male to ions you would have expect female. After she informed ed in 1974, not 2004 ... It is supervisors of the transition, shocking that anyone, much her supervisors met with city Florida Gov. Jeb B ush’s office sent a officials to devise a plan to constituent letter promising to restrict less the Office of the Gover nor of Florida, w<xild refer to terminate her employment. “special rights” for gays and lesbians such basic protections as Salem’s safety director called the plaintiff after the meeting. According ‘special rights.’ The right to visit one’s partner in the hospital, the right to tax fairness and basic to the court, the safety director called the employment protections are not special rights, “defendants’ scheme a ‘witch hunt.’ ” Following the meeting, the city unfairly dis these are basic rights.” j n ciplined Smith and attempted to either force her exit or terminate employment. 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