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. The lower Compiled by News Editor J im RADOSTA, who can
be reached at jim@justout.com.
court threw out her claims under Title VII and
A
A ffo r d a b le f it n e s s f o r p e o p le
o f a ll a g e s, s ix e s a n d a b ilitie s
1041 N E Burnside St, Gresham 503-491-5110
www.shopitsme.com
Trans Friendly
O UR PLANTS ARE 6
O N TH E KINSEY SCALE
T
ClSTUS NURSERY
22711 NW G ILUH AN ROAD
SAUVIE ISLAND W E D - S U N 10-5
'