Gary Carnivele
Posts by Gary Carnivele:
Senate Dems Object to Removal of LGBT Health Data from Gov. Websites
A group of 17 Senate Democrats led by Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) have expressed “serious concerns” with the Trump administration about the removal of LGBT health data from government websites and are calling for the restoration of the information.In a letter to the White House dated April 12, the lawmakers decried the recently reported removal of information on LGBT health data from the Department of Health & Human Services website for the Office of Women’s Health as well as and the removal of LGBT population-based data reports from the Federal Committee of Statistical Methodology website for the Office of Management & Budget.
“We are troubled by these recent actions, which, coupled with other actions your administration has taken to restrict information for LGBT people, reveal a pattern of censorship that fosters discrimination and undermines access to evidence-based health care resources that aid millions across the country,” the senators write. “These actions could seriously compromise the health of LGBT individuals, who have less access to health care than the general population and suffer disproportionately from of a wide range of health conditions and disparities due to societal stigma and discrimination.”
According to Politico, HHS said the pages and links, some of which were first posted in 2012, were taken down as part of a routine update. However, the Sunlight Foundation, a government accountability non-profit, determined existing health topic pages do not appear to have been updated with new material and the now-missing lesbian and bisexual health content wasn’t integrated elsewhere.
The removal of LGBT information from U.S. government websites has been a consistent theme over the course of the Trump administration. As the Washington Blade has previous reported, LGBT information on U.S. government websites found during the Obama years was removed the White House and Small Business Administration websites.
The senators pose seven questions to the White House on the removal of LGBT health data from the HHS and OMB websites.
1. Why did HHS elect to remove or change the LGBT resources on the OWH website? Why did these changes occur without providing any notice or explanation to site users or the public?
2. What plans do you have to communicate these changes to site users and the public?
3. Were these actions taken in consultation with HHS stakeholders and partners? If so, with whom, and what feedback did they provide?
4. It was reported by HHS that the OWH pages were removed as part of a routine update. However, existing health topic pages do not appear to be updated, and the missing content has not been integrated into other areas of the site, as reported by an HHS spokesperson. What efforts are being made to update the materials, and on what date will this information in its entirety be available again on the OWH website?
5. Why were policy papers and reports on sexual orientation and gender identity data collection efforts removed or rendered inaccessible from the FCSM website? What federal departments were involved in making this decision?
6. Why was the FCSM website relocated from the OMB website to the National Center for Education Statistics within the Department of Education website?
7. Will the information on sexual orientation and gender identity data collection from the former FCSM site be made available on the new website within the National Center for Education Statistics? If so, when?
In addition to seeking answers to these questions, the senators urge the White House to restore the LGBT health data to the websites.
“You have repeatedly broken your campaign promises to support and protect the LGBT community, and this latest assault on a vulnerable population could further compromise the health of more than ten million LGBT people,” the senators conclude. “We are concerned that you are putting politics ahead of science and access to evidence-based health care that is critical for millions, and so we call on you to reverse course to ensure that our federal programs serve the needs of all people.”
The Blade has placed a request in with the White House seeking comment on the letter.
Over 100,000 Have Knocked on the Door of 37 Countries to Demand End to Gay Sex Ban
Over 100,000 people have knocked on the door of 37 countries to demand an end to their gay sex bans.
A petition with 104,115 signatures was delivered to the Commonwealth headquarters in London today (11 April).
It is calling for the decriminalization of homosexuality in countries like India, Kenya and Barbados.
The thousands of people made the call before heads of Commonwealth countries arrive in London for a summit next week.
To coincide with this, a protest will take place on 19 April at 1pm in front of Marlborough House, London.
37 countries still have a gay sex ban
‘It’s outrageous that in 2018 Commonwealth leaders are still refusing to even discuss LGBT human rights,’ Peter Tatchell, whose foundation helped to launch the petition, told Gay Star News.
‘It’s never been on their agenda in six decades. Millions of LGBT people live in countries where being gay is a crime. That’s a violation of the Commonwealth charter and international law.
‘The fact the Commonwealth colludes with homophobic, biphobic and transphobic discrimination is truly appalling.
‘This petition is to tell the Commonwealth leaders that time’s up on blocking the debate and refusing to remedy the gross persecution of LGBT people in 37 member states.’
Phyll Opoku-Gyimah, co-founder of UK Black Pride, told GSN it’s important to question why these sodomy laws exist.
‘This is about colonialism,’ she said.
‘For me rejecting an MBE was not down to “I didn’t care”, I rejected it because LGBT people in Commonwealth countries are still tortured, persecuted, criminalized, imprisoned – they lose everything.
‘How could I possibly elevate an award over people I set out to serve?’
‘Britain should apologize’
S Chelvan, the International Rights Officer for UK Black Pride, was born in Sri Lanka.
For the past 16 years, he has worked with many people from Commonwealth countries who have fled persecution on the basis of their sexuality or gender identity.
‘Britain should apologize,’ he told GSN, adding it should avoid ‘neo-colonialism’.
‘[The government should] ask the activists how they want to address the inequalities in their countries,’ he added.
‘Listen to the activists, create the safe spaces, and take their directions on what they want us to do. We want to provide solidarity.’
Demands for Commonwealth’s 37 countries that ban homosexuality
These are the four demands of the petition to the leaders of all Commonwealth nations:
- Decriminalize same-sex relations
- Prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity
- Enforce laws against threats and violence, to protect LGBT+ people from hate crimes
- Consult and dialogue with national LGBT+ organizations
The petition is supported by: The Commonwealth Equality Network, Kaleidoscope Trust, Peter Tatchell Foundation, UK Black Pride, African Equality Foundation, Equality Network, African Rainbow Family, Movement for Justice, House of Rainbow, Out & Proud African LGBTI, Micro Rainbow, Africa Advocacy Foundation, Rainbow Across Borders, African Eye Trust. Manchester Migrant Solidarity and Care2.
‘Conversion Therapy’ Services Would be Banned Under Measure Advancing in California
The California Assembly voted Thursday to add gay “conversion therapy” to the state’s list of deceptive business practices, following a debate that focused on the personal experiences of several lawmakers and hinted at potential lawsuits to come.
“It is harmful and it is unnecessary,” Assemblyman Evan Low (D-Campbell), the bill’s author and one of the Legislature’s most vocal LGBTQ members, said of the practice.
Low, who told Assembly members that he explored conversion therapy as a teenager and suffered depression over his sexual orientation, insisted that the bill would be limited to efforts that involve the exchange of money.
“There’s nothing wrong with me,” he said in an emotional speech on the Assembly floor. “There’s nothing that needs to be changed.”
Film Review: ‘Noblemen’
This very prestigious all-boys boarding school in India which is the setting for The Noblemen is obviously a remnant of British colonial days and the children are still expected to practice the age-old rituals and codes which should have been banished years ago. Here in this very formal setting, the pupils are reluctantly bound by an outdated hierarchal system which too often allows the senior boys to use the younger sons as their slaves.
This then is the story of 14-year-old-Shay (Ali Haji ) who, because he hates sports and prefers drama class, is labeled a sissy and gay by other boys. Devoted to his invalid mother who he is allowed to call via Skype once a week, and who has promised that she will be well enough to finally visit him on Founders Day at the end of the term.
Shay’s only two friends are Ganesh (Hardik Thakkar ) who is the butt of everyone’s jokes because he is so overweight, and Pia (Muskkaan Jaferi)the rather spunky daughter of the new history teacher and thus the only girl pupil in the school.
When Shay and Pia are given the leading roles in the Founders Day production of Merchant of Venice, it really upsets Baadeal one of the wealthier older boys. He wants to follow in the footsteps of his father who is a Bollywood movie star and this would have been the perfect part to show off his talent. Equally important is the fact that he wants to be with Pia and he sees this as a perfect opportunity for him to get close to her.
When Baadeal’s clumsy attempt to bribe Mr. Murli (Kunal Kapoor ) the drama teacher fails, he enlists Arjun (Mohammed Ali Mir )a school captain and its leading bully, to ‘persuade’ Shay to give up the part. Despite all the brutal force they apply to get him agree, Shay stubbornly refuses as he wants to be able to perform for his mother.
It’s a relentless battle of brawn against wit, and even Ganesh gets drawn into it in such a way that it almost costs him his life, but it isn’t until Mr. Murli becomes aware of the situation and gets involved, and tries to help, that it really gets out of control.
Once Mr. Murli goes public with the story and Shay is now outed and humiliated by being labeled a rat by almost the entire school, taking a leaf out of The Merchant of Venice he seeks his own bloody revenge.
The Noblemen brings home the point that in such an insidious regime where bullying still persists it is a breeding ground for even more homophobia. The biggest offense that any of these boys can have is being gay, and the brutal punishment administered to Shay just reinforced his long-held fears about the consequences even more. That this can contribute to making someone so ashamed of their own sexuality that they will take such extreme measures is indefensible, but as this film proves, makes for a very compelling bloody drama.
The Noblemen is the feature directing debut of filmmaker Vandana Kataria, and is unusual for an indie film that it boasts one major Bollywood actor in its cast: Kunal Kapoor as the liberal drama teacher.
Campaign Seeks to Expose Anti-LGBT History of ‘The Real Mike Pence’
The nation’s largest LGBT group launched a new campaign on Thursday seeking to expose the anti-LGBT record of the No. 2 public official in the United States: Vice President Mike Pence.The Human Rights Campaign initiative consists of a video highlighting Pence’s past anti-LGBT statements over his years in public office as well as a report detailing his anti-LGBT record and positions contrary to other progressive causes, such as abortion rights for women, climate change and gun control.
Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign, said in a statement Pence “has made a career out of attacking the rights and equal dignity of LGBTQ people, women and other marginalized communities.”
“Now as vice president, he poses one of the greatest threats to equality in the history of our movement,” Griffin added. “With the world distracted by Donald Trump’s scandal-ridden White House, Mike Pence’s nefarious agenda has been allowed to fly under the radar for too long. He has become not only the most powerful vice president in American history, but also the least scrutinized. No more.”
One highlight of the material is the “religious freedom” bill Pence signed into law as governor of Indiana enabling individuals and businesses to deny services to LGBT people. But the campaign also talks about his time as a lawmaker, when he took to the floor of the U.S. House to support a U.S. constitutional amendment that would have banned same-sex marriage nationwide and spoke out against hate crimes protections, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal.
In his role as vice president, the Human Rights Campaign credits Pence with quietly lobbying Congress to pass an amendment that would barred payment in the U.S. military health system for gender reassignment surgery. (The amendment failed on the House floor). With rumors circulating Pence was a driving force behind President Trump’s transgender military ban, the report asserts the vice president had a helping hand on the issue. Pence’s office has denied any major involvement on the issue.
Frameline42 Reveals First 10 Films: Brimming With Stars, Icons, and Fresh Queer Stories
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Book Review: ‘Would You Rather’ by Katie Heaney
Would You Rather is a memoir that follows the life and eventual coming out of Katie Heaney who, at twenty-five, had never had sex. The book follows Katie’s life from her days at an undergraduate college to her grown-up life in New York City, working for Buzzfeed. Along the way, she details her crushes on boys, as well as her resistance to intimacy with them, and the shame she feels because of it. The book also integrates her fear of planes, her short-term passion for astrology, and her personal struggle with anxiety.
Would You Rather is what I’d call a “feel good” memoir. The narrator faces a dilemma (in this case, not being able or wanting to sleep with boys–why?), a realization (that maybe she could sleep with girls?), and a resolution (sleeping with girls is good, yay!). It follows an even pace, progressing with soft, easy prose until it reaches the height of the story, and then resolves with the same quiet ease.
Heaney is funny. Her sardonic sense of humor is what lifts the book when it needs to be lifted: “It isn’t at all uncommon to see a pair of women holding hands as they walk down the sidewalk; I know because my eyes are drawn to them like moths to a big, gay flame.”
Her humor is a staple of the piece. She uses it in her interactions with others, to hide her anxiety, and to express herself when she’s uncomfortable. Although I enjoyed the light-heartedness of the piece, in many places, I’d wished the text went deeper. She comes close to reaching many deep sentiments: “They told me that I made. My story didn’t have to fit inside anyone’s expectations, because it wasn’t, first and foremost, a story. It was my life.”
And this section, “That was the best part of the whole day (Pride) for me: seeing and being seen by other queer women, huddling together and smiling because it was our special day and we had that one thing in common.”
Overall, though, the prose stays somewhat removed from the heart of the narrator. We see her feel uncomfortable, we see her struggle to understand her developing relationship with her first girlfriend, but we never see her truly down and out, at the bottom of the bottom. And while that may not be the story she was trying to tell, I would’ve loved to have more passages like the following:
[I]t wasn’t hard to see myself in his eyes, and all guys’ eyes, really, as a little bit desperate, and a little bit sad. I didn’t feel that I was those things, or that my book as a whole came off that way, but there were these interviews and excerpts running online under headlines like “I Have Been Single for My Entire Life” and “Help Me, for I Am a Tragic, Old Virgin,” and I imagine that’s kind of hard to ignore. For me, at least, it was impossible.
This paragraph is so wonderful because it shows true vulnerability. It goes beyond the expected to show something visceral and painful for the narrator. This is what makes memoirs great—this revealing of one’s darkest self.
I also would’ve liked to see more passion in the narration about the women she likes. Something raw and unfiltered. Even though much of the book focuses on her lack of sex and wanting to have it, we are never privy to any of her thoughts about women or men. The narrative voice here could be improved by diving deeper into her personal thoughts.
Conversely, the strength of the book is that, because it stays light-hearted, it will speak to many people. Her jovial awkwardness is endearing, and her lack of interpersonal skills made me see myself in her, as many others will. In this way, the book is universal. Gay, straight or anything else, we all understand how it is to be separate, to be bumbling, to want to fit in.
Still, being a woman who loves woman, my favorite moments of this book are her shy, fumbling feelings for girls and how they seep out at all the wrong times.
“When I lifted her lime green Limited Too t-shirt to wrap the blanket around her torso, I looked at her breasts for just a beat too long.”
Same, Katie. Same.
Would You Rather
By Katie Heaney
Ballantine Books
Paperback, 9780399180958, 256 pp.
March 2018
Anti-LGBT Activists Subpoenaed Over Allegations They Helped Draft Trump Transgender Troop Ban
An anti-LGBT lobbying group is fighting to keep details of its discussions with the Trump administration private – after a subpoena directed activists to turn over documents relating to the transgender troop ban.
Donald Trump announced on Twitter in July 2017 that all transgender servicepeople would be purged from the US armed forces, claiming they were a “burden” on the military.
Despite a string of lawsuits, the White House issued a formal policy document last month that backed the stance by citing transgender people’s “high rates of mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, and substance use disorders” and “extremely high rates of suicidal ideation and other comorbidities.” The document also claimed that “transition-related treatment is proving to be disproportionately costly.”
Leading and military experts came forward to deride the claims, with the American Medical Association stressing that there is “no medically valid reason to exclude transgender individuals from service.” Two former Surgeons General also rubbished the Trump administration’s report.
It has since been alleged that Vice President Mike Pence played a leading role in the creation of that report alongside anti-LGBT lobbyists from the Heritage Foundation and Family Research Council, working over the head of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.
The Family Research Council now says it has been served with a subpoena to disclose its documents relating to the policy.
Tony Perkins of FRC told supporters: “[LGBT activists] have resorted to one of their favourite avenues to impose their fringe agenda: the court system.
“They have issued subpoenas, demanding that we produce all communications on the topic between senior leaders at Family Research Council and the administration.
“We’ve had to hire a law firm to represent us in the case, and our lawyers have objected to this demand, asserting our First Amendment religious freedom and speech rights. The LGBT activist groups have now filed a motion seeking a court order compelling us to turn over the privileged documents.
“Let me be clear, the purpose of these subpoenas is not to resolve any constitutional questions. Their intent is clear – to intimidate FRC and our supporters from standing up for our military service members.
“They also know that it takes significant time and resources to respond to subpoenas, scarce time and resources that we should be focusing on advancing faith, family, and freedom.”
Perkins added: “As a trusted friend of FRC, I wanted to make you aware of this developing situation and ask for your prayers.”
There are a string of lawsuits in progress connected to the transgender ban, and district court judges have already issued injunctions blocking the policy from coming into effect.
GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) and National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) are behind Doe v. Trump, the first of four cases filed against the ban.
Of the administration’s recently-outlined plans, Jennifer Levi of GLAD said: “This Trump-Pence plan categorically bans transgender people from service, with no legitimate basis. It requires the discharge of trained, skilled troops who have served honourably for decades. It’s a gross mischaracterisation of transgender people, and it’s bad for our military.”
Shannon Minter of NCLR added: “This is exactly the discriminatory, categorical ban that four federal courts have already barred from going forward.
“This is just the sort of baseless attack on dedicated service members we have come to expect from this administration, and we will continue to fight this shameful ban vigorously in federal court.”
Former U.S. Surgeons General M. Joycelyn Elders and David Satcher previously warned against the ban.
They said: “We are troubled that the Defense Department’s report on transgender military service has mischaracterised the robust body of peer-reviewed research on the effectiveness of transgender medical care as demonstrating ‘considerable scientific uncertainty.’
“In fact, there is a global medical consensus that such care is reliable, safe and effective. An expectation of certainty is an unrealistic and counterproductive standard of evidence for health policy—whether civilian or military—because even the most well-established medical treatments could not satisfy that standard. Indeed, setting certainty as a standard suggests an inability to refute the research.
“A wide body of reputable, peer-reviewed research has demonstrated to psychological and health experts that treatments for gender dysphoria are effective.
“Research on the effectiveness of medical care for gender dysphoria was the basis of the American Medical Association’s 2015 resolution that ‘there is no medically valid reason to exclude transgender individuals from service in the U.S. military,’ and we expressed our support for the resolution at the time of its passage.
“In light of [the] announcement concerning military policy for transgender service members, we underscore that transgender troops are as medically fit as their non-transgender peers and that there is no medically valid reason—including a diagnosis of gender dysphoria—to exclude them from military service or to limit their access to medically necessary care.”
The American Psychological Association also condemned the Trump administration’s stance.
It said: “The American Psychological Association is alarmed by the administration’s misuse of psychological science to stigmatise transgender Americans and justify limiting their ability to serve in uniform and access medically necessary health care.
“Substantial psychological research shows that gender dysphoria is a treatable condition, and does not, by itself, limit the ability of individuals to function well and excel in their work, including in military service. The science is clear that individuals who are adequately treated for gender dysphoria should not be considered mentally unstable. Additionally, the incidence of gender dysphoria is extremely low.
“No scientific evidence has shown that allowing transgender people to serve in the armed forces has an adverse impact on readiness or unit cohesion. What research does show is that discrimination and stigma undermine morale and readiness by creating a significant source of stress for sexual minorities that can harm their health and well-being.”
Man Jailed for Life After Deliberately Infecting Others with HIV
A hairdresser has been handed a life sentence with a minimum term of 12 years at Brighton crown court after deliberately trying to infect 10 men with HIV.
Daryll Rowe, 27, from Brighton, showed no emotion as he was sentenced for five charges of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and five of attempting to do so.
After being diagnosed in April 2015 in his home city of Edinburgh, Rowe met men on gay dating app Grindr and had sex with eight of them in Brighton, East Sussex, between October that year and February 2016, before fleeing to the north-east where he went on the run from police, targeting two more men.
His six-week trial heard he embarked on a cynical and deliberate campaign to infect men with HIV, refusing treatment and ignoring advice from doctors.
He insisted on having unprotected sex with men, claiming he was “clean”. When they refused, he tampered with condoms, tricking them into thinking he was practising safe sex.
Afterwards Rowe would become aggressive and taunted some of the men in text messages. He repeatedly lied to authorities and would use aliases with his victims.
Judge Christine Henson QC, sentencing, referred to his crimes as a “determined hateful campaign of sly violence”.
“You are the first individual to be sentenced for section 18 offences in the context of infecting others with HIV,” she said.
“With the full knowledge of the risk you posed to others and the legal implications of engaging in risky sexual practices, you embarked on a deliberate campaign to infect other men with the HIV virus.
“Unfortunately for five of the men you met your campaign was successful.”
The judge added: “They describe living with a life sentence as a result of your cruel and senseless acts. Many of those men were young men in their 20s at the time they had the misfortune to meet you.
“Given the facts of this case and your permissive predatory behaviour I cannot see when you would no longer be a danger to gay men.
“In my judgment the offences, taken together, are so serious, that a life sentence is justified. You will potentially remain a danger to others for the rest of your life.”