In a lawsuit challenging the North Carolina law banning transgender people from using restrooms that correspond to their gender identity, LGBT rights groups yesterday asked a federal appeals court to broaden a preliminary injunction in order to protect all transgender people in the state from discrimination.
In August, a district court issued a preliminary injunction preventing the North Carolina university system from enforcing H.B. 2 against the three individual transgender plaintiffs in the lawsuit, Carcaño v. McCrory, which is scheduled for trial in May 2017. The advocates also asked the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals to expedite the appeal and schedule oral argument for January.
“Every day that H.B. 2 singles out transgender North Carolinians — whether at school, at work, or just moving through their daily lives — is another day that the transgender community is told that they are second class,” said Chris Brook, ACLU of North Carolina legal director. “Though the district court recognized the serious harm to three of our clients at UNC as a result of H.B. 2, that recognition unfortunately didn’t extend to the harms that law inflicts on other transgender individuals in public buildings across North Carolina. We hope and expect that the Fourth Circuit will expand this ruling to protect all transgender people.”
The appeal brief filed yesterday argues that H.B. 2 violates the Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause because it specifically targets transgender people, and that discrimination against transgender people is a form of sex discrimination. While North Carolina has argued that H.B. 2 advances interests in public safety and privacy, ACLU and Lambda Legal argue that these interests, which can be protected in other ways, do not justify the harms H.B. 2 imposes on transgender people and that to restore the status quo, the court must grant a broader preliminary injunction while the case proceeds to trial.
“H.B. 2 makes transgender North Carolinians pariahs in their own state. Courthouses, airports, libraries, public schools, highway rest stops, police departments, state hospitals, and the very halls of government itself are now unsafe for, and unwelcome to, transgender North Carolinians,” said Jon W. Davidson, national legal director at Lambda Legal. “Such unequal treatment simply cannot be squared with the Fourteenth Amendment’s promise of equality under the law. The Fourth Circuit should order this broader relief, pending trial.”
The American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of North Carolina, Lambda Legal, and the law firm of Jenner & Block are challenging the law in federal court on behalf of four LGBT North Carolinians in addition to members of the ACLU of North Carolina. The lawsuit was filed days after H.B. 2 was passed by the North Carolina General Assembly and signed by Gov. Pat McCrory. In it, the groups argue that H.B. 2 sends a purposeful message that LGBT people are second-class citizens who are undeserving of the privacy, respect, and protections afforded to others, and that transgender individuals are expelled from public life since they are not allowed to use the restrooms and changing facilities that match who they are.
There have been many fights over transgender rights across the country, but the showdown in Illinois’ District 211 has been particularly ugly. After “Student A” successfully fought the school for access to the same locker room other girls used, a group of anonymous students turned around and sued, claiming that her access caused them “emotional distress.” A federal judge was not impressed by their claims.
On Tuesday, United States Magistrate Judge Jeffrey T. Gilbert recommended against granting these students a preliminary injunction blocking Student A and other trans students from the facilities. “High school students do not have a fundamental constitutional right not to share restrooms or locker rooms with transgender students whose sex assigned at birth is different than theirs,” he explained.
A magistrate judge’s recommendation must be adopted by a district judge before it has the force of law, so Gilbert’s recommendation must still clear that hurdle.
Throughout the recommendation, Gilbert laid out in detail why these students are not harmed by sharing a space with a transgender classmate. Indeed, they are not even required to share a space with her, as there are alternative restrooms that they may use. If they’re uncomfortable, they can voluntarily use a different facility or make use of a privacy stall without forcing transgender students to be ostracized to other spaces.
Though the plaintiffs — who insistently misgendered Student A throughout their briefs — would disagree, Gilbert agreed that “a transgender person’s gender identity is an important factor to be considered in determining whether his or her needs, as well as those of cisgender people, can be accommodated in the course of allocating or regulating the use of restrooms and locker rooms. So, to frame the constitutional question in the sense of sex assigned at birth while ignoring gender identity frames it too narrowly for the constitutional analysis.”
A decision issued just last week from the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit was instrumental in helping him arrive at that conclusion. Since 1984, there has been a circuit precedent that the term “sex” be defined narrowly according to “tradition” and biology. But last week, in a case about discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, the appellate court vacated a ruling based on that precedent, opening the door for judges in the circuit to reconsider how narrowly protections should be defined. For Gilbert, this made it easy for him to agree with the federal government’s interpretation of Title IX’s “sex” protections that allowed Student A access to the locker rooms in the first place.
He also made a point that has not come up in other cases about student facility access. Title IX, he explained, permits schools to provide facilities that are divided by gender, but it does not require them to do so. As it stands, District 211’s policy is to segregate the genders and to respect transgender people’s identities; as Gilbert described it, “Cisgender boys use the boys’ restrooms with transgender boys just like cisgender girls use the girls’ restrooms with transgender girls.” But even if the facilities were completely gender-neutral, they wouldn’t violate Title IX’s sex protections.
The student plaintiffs’ claim that a transgender student would violate their sense of privacy and safety was not convincing. “There is absolutely no evidence in this record that allowing transgender high school students to use restrooms or locker rooms consistent with their gender identity increases the risk of sexual assault,” Gilbert pointed out in a footnote. He also highlighted that the military now “allows transgender personnel to serve openly and fully integrated in all military services” and the NCAA “includes transgender student-athletes in collegiate sports consistent with their gender identity.”
“Neither the Restroom Policy nor the Locker Room Agreement shocks the conscience,” he wrote. Given the accommodations available, “put simply, this case does not involve any forced or involuntary exposure of a student’s body to or by a transgender person assigned a different sex at birth.”
Though the case will still proceed, it’s a major loss for the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), an anti-LGBT legal organization that is pursuing numerous cases across the country to challenge LGBT nondiscrimination protections or actually force discrimination upon transgender people. ADF Senior Counsel Gary McCaleb bemoaned in a statement, “Young students should be not be forced into an intimate setting like a locker room with someone of the opposite sex.”
Meanwhile, the ACLU, which represents Student A and two other rising transgender students at the school, celebrated the outcome. John A. Knight, Director of the ACLU of illinois’ LGBT Project, said in a statement, “Barring Student A and other transgender students from the restrooms and locker rooms that match their gender challenges their basic identity and humanity, suggests that they should be ashamed of who they are, and puts them at serious of long-term emotional and psychological injury. We are pleased that Judge Gilbert rejected specious arguments about privacy and protected the interests of all the students.”
For his feature film debut Nick Corporon chose to co-write and direct a road movie with a difference. True having a lonely middle-aged gay man pay for the services of a young hustler to accompany him is hardly new, but the journey they undertake together makes this intriguing resourceful wee drama a very suspenseful edgy thriller.
When Jonathan (Tuc Watkins) picks a nameless rent boy off the streets of San Francisco, he senses that they may have some sort of connection and he hires him for the next few days to travel with him to the Grand Canyon. He offers to pay him well on the condition that he roleplays with him, follows every single instruction, and never asks any personal questions in return.
With Jonathan insisting in providing him with some very particular dated clothes to wear, and recording the whole journey on a vintage Polaroid camera, it actually doesn’t take too long for ‘Brandon’ (Devon Graye) to start to piece some of the parts of the puzzle together He realizes that his benefactor is simply trying to relive a past relationship/romance, but it just takes him a little bit longer to work out why. There is always this overwhelming feeling that once the mystery that will be uncovered, it will include some crime and/or death which adds a whole frisson to the piece.
Beyond the sexual chemistry which is present from their very first meeting, the two men very soon develop feelings beyond the roles that they are playing, despite the fact that Jonathan seems to do his best to resist the younger man’s charm. Both men are baring the scars of their own past hurts which are revealed in some of the temper tantrums they both have when things are are not panning out as perfect as Jonathan has planned.
As the journey draws to its end, in more ways than one, Corpororn lets the sentimentality overwhelm the mystery aspect which makes for the one disappointment in what is an otherwise a refreshing wee gem of a movie. Much of the credit should rightly go to his two talented and rather stunning lead actors Watkins and Graye who give such impressively compelling performances as the two lost lonely souls who keep fighting the urge to clink to each other.
Kudos though to Corporon for this imaginative approach of one man trying to deal with an inevitable loss of his May/December relationship that was obviously doomed from the start, but one that he simply cannot move on from. Until that is, he learns how to finally enjoy the present.
“Retake” will be shown Saturday November 5 at 9:15 p.m. at Third Street Cinema in Santa Rosa as part of Outwatch – Wine Country’s LGBTQI Film Festival. For more information and tickets, go to www.outwatchfilmfest.com.
When it comes to letting transgender people simply using the restroom, religious conservatives are quick to warn that any accommodations pose a massive threat to women’s “safety and privacy.” But after newly discovered tapes of the Republican nominee for president bragging about sexually assaulting women were published last week, many of those same conservatives are still standing by their endorsements.
Almost all of the campaigns against transgender equality have been focused on painting transgender women as “male” predators looking to access women’s spaces in order to violate them. The messaging was first used in 2012 to oppose LGBT protections in Anchorage, then again last year to oppose the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance, and it has been the defense of North Carolina’s odious HB2. Women who were survivors of sexual assault were even the face of the failed campaign to overturn transgender protections in Washington state, even though there is zero evidence that respecting trans identities makes bathrooms or locker rooms any less safe.
Donald Trump, on the other hand, is actually a man who has openly bragged about sexually assaulting women and been accused of such assaults on multiple occasions. He also admitted to walking around backstage at one of the beauty pageants he owns while the female contestants were naked and changing. Here’s a look at people who think someone who likes to “grab them by the pussy” is still a vote-worthy candidate for president, paired with statements the same people have made about whether transgender people should be allowed to pee in peace.
Gov. Mike Pence
On transgender protections: “Policies regarding the security and privacy of students in our schools should be in the hands of Hoosier parents and local schools, not bureaucrats in Washington, DC. The federal government has no business getting involved in issues of this nature. I am confident that parents, teachers and administrators will continue to resolve these matters without federal mandates and in a manner that reflects the common sense and compassion of our state.”
On Trump’s 2005 remarks: “It’s absolutely false to suggest that at any point in time we considered dropping off this ticket… He said last night very clearly that that was talk, not actions. And I believe him and I think the contrast between that and what the Clintons were involved in 20 years ago — the four women that were present last night — was pretty dramatic.”
Ben Carson
CREDIT: AP Photo/Gerald Herbert
On transgender protections: “How about we have a transgender bathroom? It is not fair for them to make everybody else uncomfortable. It’s one of the things that I don’t particularly like about the movement. I think everybody has equal rights, but I’m not sure that anybody should have extra rights — extra rights when it comes to redefining everything for everybody else and imposing your view on everybody else.”
On Trump’s 2005 remarks: “Those of us who do not want to see America fundamentally devolve into something worse must be wise enough to recognize the scheme that is being played out here. We must demand not only that the issues be discussed but also that we make our decisions based on issues and not on personalities or decade old statements and behavior by Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump.”
Mike Huckabee
On transgender protections: “Now I wish somebody had told me when I was in high school, that I could have felt like a woman when it came time to take showers in P.E. I’m pretty sure I would’ve found my feminine side and said, ‘Coach, I think I’d rather shower with the girls today.’”
On Trump’s 2005 remarks: “I certainly don’t condone what he said in what he thought was a private moment 11 years ago, but here’s a good reminder that in these times of ubiquitous microphones and cameras, there are no private moments. I can truly hope he’s genuinely contrite and has outgrown it and that he himself is as repulsed by it as are those who view it.”
Gov. Chris Christie
On transgender protections: “Men go to men’s rooms, women go to women’s rooms and there really shouldn’t be a whole lot of confusion about that — public accommodations. And I don’t think we should be making life more confusing for our children… The fact though is that we want our kids not to have to decide which bathroom they get to go in. And not to be subject to peer pressure about which one to go in. And not to be subject to the embarrassment that could come with going in a bathroom where somebody maybe doesn’t agree that they should be in there or not.”
Sen. Ted Cruz
On transgender protections: “You don’t have a right to intrude upon the rights of others because whether or not a man believes he’s a woman, there are a lot of women who would like to be able to use a public restroom in peace without having a man there — and when there are children involved, you don’t have a right to impose your lifestyle on others.”
On Trump’s 2005 remarks: “I am supporting the Republican nominee because I think Hillary Clinton is an absolute disaster. Now my differences with Donald, I have articulated at great length during the campaign. And I tried all my might. I got to tell you, it was an amazing journey.”
Tony Perkins, Family Research Council
On Trump’s 2005 remarks: “As I have made clear, my support for Donald Trump in the general election was never based upon shared values rather it was built upon shared concerns… At this point in the political process, because of our lack of engagement and involvement as Christians, not just in this election but in the government and culture as a whole, we are left with a choice of voting for the one who will do the least damage to our freedoms.”
Ralph Reed, Faith and Freedom Coalition
On transgender protections:
On Trump’s 2005 remarks: “I just don’t think an audiotape of an 11-year-old private conversation with an entertainment talk show host on a tour bus, for which the candidate has apologized profusely, is likely to rank high on the hierarchy of concerns of those faith-based voters.”
James Dobson
On transgender protections: “If you are a married man with any gumption, surely you will defend your wife’s privacy and security in restroom facilities. Would you remain passive after knowing that a strange-looking man, dressed like a woman, has been peering over toilet cubicles to watch your wife in a private moment? What should be done to the pervert who was using mirrors to watch women and girls in their stalls?”
On Trump’s 2005 remarks: “The comments Mr. Trump made 11 years ago were deplorable and I condemn them entirely. I also find Hillary Clinton’s support of partial birth abortion criminal and her opinion of evangelicals to be bigoted. There really is only one difference between the two. Mr. Trump promises to support religious liberty and the dignity of the unborn. Mrs. Clinton promises she will not.”
Gary Bauer, American Values
On transgender protections: “This is yet another example of the Obama administration’s bizarre obsession to force women to be unwilling participants in a radical social experiment… Now Obama’s HUD bureaucrats are putting those women at risk for abuse and worse by men claiming to be women.”
On Trump’s 2005 remarks: “ The comments are obviously disgusting and unfortunate. But Donald Trump did not run as a evangelical or as somebody who ran the kind of campaign that a Pat Robertson would run. We’ll still support him, still work hard for him. His policies are 100% better than Hillary clinton’s for the country. I don’t see how any values voter that is sensible would take a tape from 11 years ago with totally inappropriate language and says somehow that leads me as a voter to stay home or vote for Hillary Clinton or throw your vote away on a third party candidate.”
Robert Jeffress, First Baptist Church in Dallas
CREDIT: Facebook/Robert Jeffress
On transgender protections: “Gender is an absolute, just like age is an absolute, and just because some hairy-legged man feels confused about his gender, doesn’t mean he gets to come in and shower with my daughter in a shower room.”
On Trump’s 2005 remarks: “It was lewd, obscene, indefensible — but not enough to make me want to vote for Hillary Clinton. I might not choose this man to be a Sunday school teacher at my church, but that’s not what this election is about.”
Michele Bachmann
On transgender protections: “What we have seen happen since this discussion started, are men of varying ages going into women’s bathrooms and trying to videotape women unawares. Now that’s a real problem. And I think we need to be very clear that women, girls, older women are vulnerable and are deserving of protection.”
On Trump’s 2005 remarks: “This is bad boy talk, and of course that’s what [Hillary Clinton] wants everybody to talk about… If anybody understands bad boy talk, Hillary Clinton understands bad boy talk. She engages in a certain amount of it herself I think.”
Pat Robertson
On transgender protections: “We don’t want men going into women’s bathrooms, we don’t want predators going out where little girls are, we don’t want voyeurs having free access to the women’s locker rooms during games when they’re changing clothes.”
On Trump’s 2005 remarks: “ “A guy does something 11 years ago, it was a conversation in Hollywood where he’s trying to look like he’s macho. And 11 years after that they surface it from The Washington Post or whatever, bring it out within 30 days or so of the election and this is supposed to be the death blow and everybody writes him off… They think he’s dead, he’s come back. And he came back strong. So, he won that debate.”
Pat McCrory (R), North Carolina governor
On transgender protections: “Does the desire to be politically correct outweigh our children’s privacy and safety? Not on my watch.”
On Trump’s 2005 remarks: “I condemn in the strongest possible terms the comments made by Donald Trump regarding women. I find them disgusting.” [But McCrory did not withdraw his endorsement of Trump.]
Dan Patrick, Texas lieutenant governor
On transgender protections: “It is clear that the Obama administration is trying to force an ill-advised, eleventh-hour bathroom edict on Texas and all American schools that ignores both common sense and common decency. Obama’s bathroom policy, which applies to grades K-12, creates a problem where none existed. It will disrupt schools across Texas, creating potentially embarrassing and unsafe situations for girls who would be forced, under his order, to share bathrooms, locker rooms and showers with boys.”
On Trump’s 2005 remarks:
hil Robertson, Duck Dynasty
On transgender protections: “Men should use the men’s bathroom and women should use the women’s bathroom. Just because a man may ‘feel’ like a woman doesn’t mean he should be able to share a bathroom with my daughter, or yours. That used to be called common sense. Now it’s called bigoted.”
On Trump’s 2005 remarks: “I would say [evangelical leaders] need to lighten up, start going out and preaching the gospel to different people, including Donald Trump, and give him some time to think about spiritual matters, and work with him, and not condemn anybody.”
Alveda King
On transgender protections: “In other words, by turning a blind eye to the dearth of perversion within our communities — the sex traffickers, child molesters, adulterers and fornicators, racists, and so many other sin sick souls — and suggesting that allowing everyone to use the same public bathrooms will solve America’s problems, the current government administration, no matter how well intended or ill advised they are, is headed for disaster.”
On Trump’s 2005 remarks: “ While writing, saying and doing much, Mr. Trump is apologizing for his past sins. He’s walking away from supporting abortion, hurling insults and more. Now, America needs to follow suit and apologize for the scourge of legal abortion that has left millions of empty cradles, wombs barren, women’s health damaged, and families broken. As Americans, we all need to follow Mr. Trump’s lead and ask God for forgiveness for the sins of our nation, and yes, for ourselves.”
StartOut, a national non-profit organization that supports, educates and connects LGBTQ entrepreneurs, today announced the launch of its online platform, the StartOut Community. It is designed to address the multifaceted needs of LGBTQ entrepreneurs. The primary goals of this digital portal are to accelerate the ability of LGBTQ founded and run companies to reach sustainable success, showcase the significant contributions StartOut members make to societies all over the world, and help level the economic playing field for LGBTQ entrepreneurs.
StartOut’s inaugural research study, The State of LGBT Entrepreneurship in the U.S., conclusively shows that startups founded by LGBTQ entrepreneurs are at risk for discrimination—affecting where founders choose to locate their businesses, to what extent they can raise capital, and how they build trust with investors. Based on the data and findings from this research study behind us and seven years of “real-life” success accelerating LGBTQ entrepreneurship, StartOut is now taking its programs to the next level with the launch of the StartOut Community. Supported by ROI Genius, the new complementary platform is open to all LGBTQ entrepreneurs, friends, supporters, and allies globally. The platform includes:
Online forums, organized by topic and industry, designed to allow users to take advantage of StartOut members’ deep entrepreneurial and business expertise
Forums to share experiences and advice specific to our lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender entrepreneur communities
Invitations to local and national events
Educational content
Inspirational member successes stories
Andres Wydler
“Designed for massive scalability, our new StartOut Community is the first platform of its kind tailored specifically to the LGBTQ entrepreneurial community,” says Executive Director Andres Wydler. “Too many LGBTQ entrepreneurs still lack role models they can relate to and the professional networks to advance their businesses. We are determined to connect our members with the contacts they need to succeed, and provide the visibility, recognition and respect they deserve, no matter where they live.”
Following this initial launch, StartOut will release its premium features, including a searchable directory to connect its members 24/7; a nationwide mentorship program, supported by AT&T; and an investor portal to connect LGBTQ-friendly investors with StartOut premium members.
To support and help fund the ongoing development and program management for this groundbreaking portal, you may become a member at https://startout.org/membership.
Today, on National Coming Out Day, we celebrate one of the most powerful forces in the fight for LGBT equality. When someone decides to come out as member of the LGBT community, it gives their friends, family, loved ones and neighbors a personal reason to support LGBT rights, and it inspires more members and allies of the LGBT community to stand up for what is right, even in the face of discrimination, bigotry and violence.
Despite the great strides we’ve made in recent years – marriage equality, the end of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and more – the sad fact remains that coming out is still a risky, even dangerous thing to do for too many Americans, young and old. But that’s why it’s so important. Together, we can end the discrimination and build a brighter, safer future for all.
“The Democratic Party is proud to stand with the LGBT community, and proud to support candidates for elected office who are fighting for the promise of full equality. If we hope to continue building on the progress of the last eight years, we must elect Hillary Clinton and Democrats up and down the ballot across the country.”
For decades, Spanish speakers in many parts of the Western Hemisphere recognize the word ambiente — literally meaning “atmosphere” or “environment” — as a coded reference. Queer Latinas and Latinos have used the word to identify themselves, their distinctive cultures and their spirit of resistance.
“Noche de Ambiente” curators Ángel Rafael “Ralph” Vázquez-Concepción (left) and Juliana Delgado Lopera
The term is at the heart of a new exhibition that will debut October 28 at the GLBT History Museum: “Noche de Ambiente.” The show opens a window into the meanings of ambiente as reflected in Latino drag performance and LGBTQ and AIDS activism in San Francisco from the 1970s into the 1990s.
Curated by Juliana Delgado Lopera and Ángel Rafael “Ralph” Vázquez-Concepción, the exhibition brings together documents, images and videos from the GLBT Historical Society’s archives as well as materials contributed by community members.
“Growing up in Puerto Rico, the word ambiente was familiar; I heard it a lot when I was a kid in the ’80s,” says Vázquez-Concepción. “Later I came to understand the shielding effect it has. Like a spell, it turns the space it refers to into Latinx queer domain.”
A sampling of the Adela Vázquez papers documenting San Francisco’s LGBTQ Latino scene from the 1980s and 1990s; collection of Juliana Delagado Lopera. Courtesy GLBT Historical Society.
Delgado Lopera first learned the word from the woman she sees as her queer mother, Adela Vázquez, who told Lopera stories that opened an underground world of queer Latinidad invisible to the public eye. Through Vázquez she met many queer Latinas and Latinos active during the 1980s and 1990s, some of whom formed her chosen family. “I’m committed to the unearthing and preservation of their stories because they’re part of me, they created openings for me to exist,” Lopera says.
“Noche de Ambiente” opens on Friday, October 28, with a public reception set for 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the GLBT History Museum at 4127 18th St. in San Francisco. The curators will make brief remarks to inaugurate the show. Wine and light refreshments will be served. Admission is $5.00; free for members. The exhibition will be on display in the museum’s Front Gallery through February 2017.
Equality California Friday announced the endorsement of three strong LGBT allies for state legislature. The candidates are as follows:
Raul Bocanegra
Raul Bocanegra (Assembly District 39 currently represented by Democrat Patty Lopez of San Fernando.) During his time in the California Assembly, Raul Bocanegra proved himself a strong LGBT ally, earning an Equality Score rating of 100 percent from Equality California each year. He supports LGBT cultural competency training programs for health professionals, LGBT-specific anti-bullying programs in California schools and has backed legislation like AB 1266 protecting the right of transgender people to use facilities and participate in programs based on their gender identity. He also supports legislation, such as the recently passed SB 1146, requiring state-funded private colleges and universities to follow California non-discrimination laws.
“Raul has already proven himself a reliable ally of the LGBT community,” said Rick Zbur, executive director of Equality California. “He has voiced his commitment to supporting potentially controversial pieces of public policy, because, as matters of social justice and civil rights, it’s the right thing to do. He has supported our community and we are pleased to support him for California Assembly District 39.”
Josh Newman
Josh Newman (California Senate, District 29 – currently represented by Republican Bob Huff of San Dimas.) Josh Newman is the founder and executive director of ArmedForce2Workforce, a non-profit dedicated to helping servicemembers make the transition from military service to working life. Newman himself served in the US Army for 14 years, where he was aware of and supported openly-LGBT servicemembers before the overturning of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.” Newman has indicated that he will “proudly and unequivocally” continue his support of the LGBT community if elected to Senate.
“Josh demonstrated his support for LGBT servicemembers despite a government policy forcing them to live in hiding,” said Zbur. “We are confident that he will show the same courage and commitment to the LGBT community as a state legislator.”
Eloise Reyes
Eloise Reyes (California Assembly, District 47 – currently represented by Democrat Cheryl Brown of Rialto.) Attorney Eloise Reyes features her LGBT civil rights platform prominently on her campaign website. She has voiced strong support for laws requiring state-funded private universities to adhere to California LGBT anti-discrimination protections. She has also indicated her commitment to be a “champion” for LGBT civil rights, and to ensure that existing civil rights laws are enforced.
“Eloise believes strongly in diversity, inclusion and equality,” said Zbur. “Her passion for these issues will make her an outstanding advocate and ally for our community in Sacramento.”
HRC Friday released its Congressional Scorecard measuring support for LGBTQ equality in the 114th Congress. The scorecard shows continued strong support for LGBTQ equality from Democrats and growing bipartisan support for LGBTQ nondiscrimination protections. The 114th Congress saw a record number of Republicans vote at different times to affirm President Obama’s executive order prohibiting discrimination by federal contractors on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
“LGBTQ nondiscrimination protections gained important bipartisan support in the 114th Congress. Unfortunately, despite those gains, the 114th Congress failed to advance any pro-equality legislation and remains an impediment to progress for the LGBTQ community,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “Today, a majority of Americans — Republicans, Democrats and independents — all believe that LGBTQ people should be able to live their lives free from fear of discrimination and be protected from discrimination. It’s long past time that Congress reflects the opinion of the majority of fair-minded Americans.”
With 190 Democrats in the House and Senate receiving perfect 100 scores, pro-equality legislation received exceptionally high levels of support from Democratic lawmakers. In comparison, one House Republican and one Senate Republican earned perfect scores.
“Building on our incredible support from Democratic elected officials, gaining ground with fair-minded Republicans is important next step to win the support we need to pass important legislation like the Equality Act,” added David Stacy, HRC’s Government Affairs Director. “Winning 62 Republican votes in the House is a historic achievement that can help lay the groundwork for future success.”
Members of Congress were scored based on their votes and co-sponsorships of pieces of legislation that are key indicators of support for LGBTQ equality. Despite the 114th Congress failing to enact any legislation to protect the LGBTQ community, majorities emerged in both chambers on key LGBTQ issues.
In the House, a historic 62 Republicans voted at different times to affirm President Obama’s executive order prohibiting discrimination by federal contractors on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity — nearly double the total from Republicans on previous LGBTQ non-discrimination votes. And in the Senate, bipartisan majorities voted for amendments supporting spousal benefits for same-sex couples, non-discrimination protections in runaway and homeless youth programs, and non-discrimination protections in education.
For more information on the HRC Congressional Scorecard go here.
Moonlight is probably the most exquisite and understated lgbt coming of age story to hit our screens for years. Light on plot and even sparse on dialogue, it nevertheless packs a powerful punch showing the inner turmoil of an African/American youth coming to terms with his own sexuality as he grows up in one of the tougher aggressively machismo neighborhoods of Miami.
Chiron’s story is played out in three parts. The first is when he is a scrawny 10 year old who is nicknamed ‘Little’ (Alex R Hibbert) and is always being picked on by his classmates. one day to avoid yet another beating, he runs off and takes shelter in a boarded up drug cache. He is rescued from there by Juan (Mahershala Ali) a local drug baron with a big heart and a very kind-hearted girlfriend (Janelle Monáe). Juan becomes a surrogate parent for the father long gone and a mother (Naomie Harris) who it turns out is one of his regular customers although like most, she can ill afford it. When the rather morose and silent Chiron with his big soulful eyes does open up and asks Juan some desperate enquiring questions which give the first clue of his sexuality, he is met with very simple advice “At some point you gotta decide for yourself who you gonna be, You can’t let nobody make that decision for you”.
The second part of the story is when Chiron (Ashton Sanders) is now in High School and is still very troubled and extremely vulnerable. His bullying classmates have never relented from picking on him for being gay like that have done for years, before even Chiron ever considered that possibility about himself. He still has the same one good friend Kevin (Jharrel Jerome) who not only provides the sympathetic ear that Juan used to do, but he has even re-christened him with a new nickname of ‘Black’. It is Kevin who is the vehicle for Chiron to eventually test out his sexuality with a spontaneously tender and slightly awkward moment on the beach late one night. Kevin may be attracted to Chiron, but nevertheless when egged on by the class ringleader he allows himself to be taunted into publicly beating up Chiron just to save his own face amongst the other boys.
Chiron refuses to fight back but he never ever forgets the occasion and is determined that it will never happen again. So by the time we see him as a grown man (Trevante Rhodes) in the third part of the story, he has moulded himself up into being a powerful muscled thug. With his massive frame and his row of gold teeth he is almost unrecognizable, yet he still has the same soulful eyes that tell in one glance that even under this new ‘disguise’ and working as a tough drug dealer, he is still the same vulnerable unsure gay man.
His mother is now in rehab up in Georgia where they had moved too. She has shaken off her addiction which had so impacted Chiron’s youth, but even sober she is still not an easy person for him to deal with.
One day out of the blue after a decade silence, he receives a phone call from Kevin (André Holland) who is now working as a chef in a Miami diner, and this spurs him into spontaneous jumping in his car and paying a surprise visit to his old best friend. It is obvious that Chiron has some unspoken business regarding his feelings that he needs to resolve with Kevin, and in one of the most poignant scenes of this rather wonderful drama, he finally speaks up.
The full impact of watching Moonlight takes one by total surprise just as Telluride Film Festival recently discovered when they couldn’t organize enough additional screenings to meet the demands of the industry crowd responding to the phenomenal word-of-mouth raves that surrounded the movie. Even more remarkable is the fact that it is only the sophomore feature from young Miami filmmaker Barry Jenkins who has imposed such a confident and refreshingly different approach to his film, and all without resorting to any of the usual cliches. The story was adapted from the Tarell Alvin McCraney’s un-produced play “In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue“. Both McCraney and Jenkins grew up in Miami’s Liberty City where Moonlight was set, and Jenkins told Telluride audiences that the character of Chiron is actually based on a combination of their own separate real-life growing up stories which makes a great deal of sense when you appreciate the authenticity throughout the entire movie.
The casting is pitch perfect, particularly the three versions of Chiron who effortlessly blend into one, and so too with the different actors who portray Kevin as well. Jenkins coaxed sublimely subtle performances from all his leading men in their varying ages, as well as from singer Janelle Monáe making her acting debut and British actress Naomie Harris in a role that was a far cry from playing Moneypenny in the last two Bond movies.
Kudos to both the cinematographer James Laxton who beautifully filmed an expansive Miami landscape that many locals will fail to recognize, and also to Nicholas Britell for the extremely innovative soundtrack which mixed hip-hop with Aretha Franklin and Mozart.
Moonlight marks the arrival of new inspirational talent of a filmmaker who ensured that his beautiful portrait of a life marked by love, loss, and tragedy was devoid of the usual histrionics of most LGBT coming-of-age stories which will make this a must-see movie way beyond the gay community. He also avoided any temptation to include any preachy message of any kind, and let Chiron’s inner struggles speak for themselves.
The absolute joy of watching of this story unfold resounds with you days later not necessarily for the details of the plot, but simply for the sheer charismatic way it was told.
