Straight people, apparently (Pexels and ItsAlexJackson/twitter)
A tweet highlighting how straight people sexualise small children has gone viral.
A common accusation aimed at people who try to educate children about LGBT+ issues, or at least let them be their true, potentially queer selves, is that they are ‘sexualising’ kids.
In July, Doug Mainwaring, a writer for LifeSiteNews, wrote on the site that June — which is celebrated as Pride Month around the world — should be called ‘Let’s Sexualise Children Month.’But, of course, in this heteronormative society we live in, it’s actually straight people who are more commonly guilty of pushing their expectations onto children.
And it was this point which American activist Alex Jackson made in an excellent fashion on Sunday (October 14), writing: “straight people: gay people are forcing their sexuality onto their children.
“Straight people, to a 5 year old boy talking to a girl: IS THAT YOUR GIRLFRIEND.”
“Straight people, to a 5 year old boy talking to a girl: IS THAT YOUR GIRLFRIEND” (ItsAlexJackson/twitter)
This observation clearly struck a chord with lots of people, as it has attracted more than 110,000 retweets and likes in less than 24 hours.
Many of these fans were people who readily shared their own experiences of straight adults pushing their own sexual experience on children, and even babies.
One wrote: “This girl i went to school with on fb posted she was pregnant and her friend goes ‘i hope its a boy so [her kid] can play with him, or if its a girl [kid] can be her boyfriend’ THE THING AINT EVEN FULLY FORMED AND THEY WERE DOING THE BOY/GIRLFRIEND THING LOL.”
“THE THING AIN’T EVEN FULLY FORMED AND THEY WERE DOING THE BOY/GIRLFRIEND THING” (OccultAlien/twitter)
Another tweeter commented that “onesies that say ‘CHICK MAGNET!’ and ‘don’t let my dad know you’re staring at me’ and shiz like that makes me feel so yucky inside.
“Hopefully that trend will die off soon 😅” (ashlynnlee_14/twitter)
“I don’t think parents that say and buy things like that really know what they’re doing is wrong, but hopefully that trend will die off soon 😅.”
And others told stories of when they were personally affected by straight pressure.
“I’m embarrassed to say that this was done to me, speaking to a grown woman, by my dad, who knows I’m gay. I’m 27 yall,” one person tweeted.
“I’m embarrassed to say that this was done to me, speaking to a grown woman, by my dad, who knows I’m gay” (vetos_/twitter)
Another said that their family “kept asking me about having a girlfriend since I was in preschool, so I really thought I had to even though I liked boys instead of girls.”
“I really thought I had to even though I liked boys instead of girls” (Naegi26/twitter)
And yet another commenter wrote that “my coworker says her 9 month old is flirting with me because he loves touching my hands and playing with my fingers as if thats not what all babies do.”
“As if that’s not what all babies do” (ikywtmyg/twitter)
Over the past year, anti-LGBT+ critics have said that drag kids Desmond is Amazing and Lactatia are the result of children being sexualised by queer advocates.
A group of mothers even launched an attack against Aldi because the supermarket chain stocked David Walliams’ The Boy in a Dress, a book they said was part of an “agenda to groom and sexualise” children.
Janelle Monáe, Kevin McHale and Amandla Stenberg (Vivien Killilea/Getty, Leon Bennett/Getty and Paras Griffin/Getty)
Since the last National Coming Out Day, dozens of celebrities have stopped, taken a deep breath and revealed to the world that they’re gay, bisexual, lesbian, transgender, queer, non-binary, pansexual — and even in one controversial case, two spirit.
From singers and political figures to sports stars and Hollywood’s brightest, the past 12 months have shown, in case anyone needed reminding, that anyone can be LGBT+.
As we look ahead to National Coming Out Day on Thursday (October 11), let’s celebrate the icons who put their heads above the parapet to be representative of the community — starting with some amazing musicians.
The Dirty Computer singer came out as “a queer black woman” in April after years of speculation, revealing that she had “been in relationships with both men and women.”
Monáe explained that she had identified as bisexual at first, “but then later I read about pansexuality and was like: ‘Oh, these are things that I identify with too.’
He continued: “I guess you could qualify me as pansexual because I really don’t care. If a person is great, then a person is great. I just like good people, if your heart’s in the right place.”
Coming out can be difficult — and so can labels. When the “I’m Yours” singer revealed in July that he had enjoyed sexual experiences with men in the past, he defined himself as two spirit.
This term, which is used by Indigenous North American and First Nations people to represent those who possess both masculine and feminine spirits and can encompass sexual, gender and/or spiritual identities, attracted backlash.
Nevertheless, it’s good that the 41-year-old musician felt comfortable enough to publicly announce his sexual orientation.
Rock band Say Anything’s lead singer also came out as queer, making the announcement in an emotional letter which also revealed that the group was breaking up.
Under the heading “GAY STUFF,” Bemis, 34, wrote: “I have always been bi-ish or queer or a straight guy who can also like boys.
“I always talked or joked about it with my friends and found it to be blatantly clear I was.”
The Finnish singer and Eurovision 2018 star came out to PinkNews in March, saying: “I am very proud to be lesbian and I feel very much like I am lesbian, totally.”
She said she was lucky enough to have never struggled with her sexual identity, saying: “My sexuality was never an issue.”
The British musician, who went to number one in more than 20 countries as a featured artist on Clean Bandit’s hit song “Rockabye,” opened up about her sexuality after releasing her debut album, Speak Your Mind.
She said: “I’ve never ever just been attracted to men. I’ve never just been attracted to women. I’ve never felt the need to tell anyone that I’m bisexual.
“I don’t feel like I am. I just feel like I’m attracted to who I like. I honestly feel like everyone is like that.”
Lorde’s sister Indy Yelich-O’Connor revealed she was bisexual in May.
The 19-year-old author took to Twitter to share the news, keeping things short and sweet by simply writing: “plot twist (I like boys and girls).”
The global singing sensation’s teen sibling then screengrabbed the tweet and shared it via an Instagram story, making sure all of her followers were up to speed on her sexuality.
Hodgson came out in April (zander hodgson/YouTube)
The British model, actor and Instagram star was one of many celebrities this year who chose to come out in a heartfelt YouTube video.
The actor, who lives in Los Angeles and has had small roles in Hollyoaks, Coronation Street and Shameless, decided to share his sexuality to inspire others who might be struggling to come to terms with their LGBT+ status.
In the video, Hodgson said: “I wanted to tell everyone that I am gay, and although that doesn’t change anything for me, and hopefully not for you, I just thought it was a really important thing to share with everyone.”
He added: “I wanted to do this video as well, because when I think about all the kids out there that are being bullied, or are really struggling with their sexuality, even teenage or adults, I just want you to know that you are not alone.”
Another model, actor and Instagram celebrity to come out this year was Derek Chadwick, who made the announcement in July, explaining that his parents were “not very accepting” when he first told them he was gay — and that he hoped his coming out would help others.
“Coming out in this way allows me to use the privilege that I have to help other people who don’t have that,” the Scream Queens actor added.
Andrea Russett came out to her 7.5 million Twitter followers and four million Instagram fans last month, the day before Bi Visibility Day, because — she said — her best friend Sandra Poenar told her she believed that queer people go to hell.
“I came out to Sandra as bisexual four years ago. (Surprise! Yeah. Not exactly how I planned to come out publicly, but s**t happens I guess),” she wrote in a lengthy social media post.
She added that she wanted to tell “anyone who is struggling with anything similar in their life, you are not alone.
“You are not any less of a person because of who you may choose to love.”
The YouTuber, who has more than 1.5 million subscribers, came out in November 2017 with a spectacular video which has so far attracted around four million views.
She told fans that her sexuality was something she had struggled to talk about to people close to her, leaving her depressed.
But after going through a personal journey, she posed in front of her rainbow-covered home and told her audience: “I’m Elle Mills and I’m bisexual.”
The racing legend and three-time Le Mans 24 Hours winner, is a legendary endurance racing champ who won the 24 Hours of Le Mans across three decades – in 1977, 1983 and 1994.
The racing driver, whose sexuality had been an open secret within sporting circles for some time, publicly acknowledged he was gay at the age of 69, ahead of his autobiography being released.
He talked about helping a suicidal student in 2012 and explained: “I thought, if my voice is strong enough to help one kid, it might help two kids, or five or a hundred.”
The footballer, who plays for Major League Soccer side Minnesota United, broke a huge barrier in June when he came out as gay.
Martin wrote a statement on his Twitter account which said: “June is Pride month, and I am proud to be playing for Pride, and to be playing as an out gay man.”
The 23-year-old added: “As we celebrate Pride night I want to thank my teammates for their unconditional support for who I am.
“In light of who I am I want to encourage others who play sports professionally or otherwise to have confidence that sport will welcome them wholeheartedly.”
Harrity, who has twice picked up the US Nationals title, became the first openly gay man at the top of squash in April.
In a post to social media, the 27-year-old athlete wrote: “To everyone I know, and to all who know me, I have something that I am finally ready to get off my chest.
“I am gay, and I’m ready to live my life as an openly gay man. I have decided to come out because I am convinced that having everyone know this about me is the only way I can truly be content.”
DeVine, a swimmer on the US national team, came out as gay last month, admitting that coming out was “really tough” for him and that he was afraid of how his team would react.
He broke the ice by first telling a former teammate, who he said “did a lot” for him “and was really there for me as a friend.”
And DeVine soon discovered that his apprehension about coming out to his teammates was unfounded, as everybody around him reacted well to the news.
In September, Fujikawa became the first male professional golfer to come out as gay and said he hoped his story would help others in the LGBT+ community.
The American sportsman from Hawaii posted a photo of himself on Instagram on World Suicide Prevention Day, alongside a caption explaining why decided to go public about his sexuality.
“So… I’m gay. Many of you may have already known that,” he wrote.
“I don’t expect everyone to understand or accept me. But please be gracious enough to not push your beliefs on me or anyone in the LGBTQ community.
“My hope is this post will inspire each and every one of you to be more empathetic and loving towards one another.”
At the age of 47, the former world champion and Olympic swimmer confirmed he was gay.
The British sportsman said: “I got really good at the dance of telling half-truths. I’ve supported the Terence Higgins Trust, Stonewall, Ben Cohen’s Stand Up to Bullying campaign.
“But I’ve always done it under the radar.”
He added: “I’ve lived an openly gay life to my friends and family. But I always hid it as a swimmer.”
The Thor: Ragnarok actress spoke publically about her sexuality for the first time in June.
Thompson, who’s best known for her appearances on dystopian drama Westworld, as well as her role as the explicitly bisexual hero Valkyrie in Thor: Ragnarok, said: “I can take things for granted because of my family – it’s so free and you can be anything that you want to be.
“I’m attracted to men and also to women. If I bring a woman home, [or] a man, we don’t even have to have the discussion.”
The 19-year-old, who made their name in The Hunger Games series and uses gender-neutral they/them pronouns, previously came out as queer and—in 2016—as bisexual.
But in an interview with lesbian pop singer King Princess—real name Mikaela Straus—in June, they said: “*Insert Ellen DeGeneres’ TIME Magazine cover squat and wide smile* Yep I’m gay.”
The actor, who has since starred in hit film The Hate U Give, added: “I’m grateful for how being gay has afforded me this ability to experience and understand love and sex, and therefore life, in an expansive and infinite way.”
In July, at the age of 23, the Arrow and Scream actor revealed that they’re non-binary.
Taylor-Klaus came out as gay in 2016 by tweeting: “hello my name is bex and yes the rumours are true I am v gay.”
And their latest announcement was made with a similar air of nonchalance, with Taylor-Klaus — who’s a series regular on Netflix’s Voltron: Legendary Defender — tweeting it out in much the same way.
They wrote: “I came out as trans non-binary in a room full of people today. Guess it’s time for me to do that on here, too…
“Hi. I’m Bex, and the rumours are true. I’m v enby.”
The actor, who rose to fame in Disney Channel movie series Teen Beach, came out as gay in August, revealing at the same time that he was in a long-term relationship with screenwriter Blake Knight.
Ahead of his film Reach being released, he wrote on Instagram that he had “personally dealt with suicide within my own family [and] intense bullying in high school.”
He added that “myself and the man I’ve been in a relationship with for a long time (@hrhblakeknight) have both experienced shootings within our hometown school systems, and have witnessed the heartache that takes place in affected communities after such tragic events.”
The star and co-creator of comedy series Broad City came out in April.
While promoting 6 Balloons, her Netflix film with Dave Franco, she said: “I kind of go both ways; I date men and women. They have to be funny, doing something they love.
“I don’t know — I’ve never really been interviewed about this before.”
24-year-old musician and Disney actress Alyson Stoner came out as bisexual in March.
The star, who is best known for her roles in Cheaper by the Dozen and The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, opened up about her sexuality and struggles with religion in an emotional essay for Teen Vogue.
She wrote: “I, Alyson, am attracted to men, women, and people who identify in other ways.
“I can love people of every gender identity and expression. It is the soul that captivates me.”
“It is the love we can build and the goodness we can contribute to the world by supporting each other’s best journeys,” she added.
The Glee actor appeared to come out on Instagram in March, when he posted a picture of a photo of one man’s hand on top of a different male hand, with an emoji performing the hand gesture for “I love you” in ASL.
The pair both featured in When We Rise, a 2017 TV miniseries created by Dustin Lance Black that told the story of the struggle for LGBT equality in the US.
The Gotham star spoke about his sexuality publicly for the first time in March, while starring in a drama set during the AIDS crisis.
Smith, who is best known for playing Edward Nygma, aka supervillain The Riddler, on Fox’s popular Batman prequel TV series, revealed he identifies as queer.
The actor added that his own family responded with “a lot of love” when he came out.
Totah has starred in Champions and Glee (Mike Coppola/Getty)
The actress, known for her TV roles in Glee, Champions and Jessie, came out as transgender in a powerful essay for Time magazine.
Totah, 17, said she was “grateful” for roles she has played over the years, but regretted allowing herself to become known as a gay male rather than as a transgender female.
She also spoke about her faith, saying she has “come to believe that God made me transgender” and added that when it came to auditions for female parts, she was planning to “gun for those roles.”
After all, she added: “It’s a clean slate – and a new world.”
True Blood actress Rutina Wesley quietly came out in November 2017 as she revealed her engagement.
The star, who played Tara Thornton on the cult vampire show and has also appeared on Queen Sugar, uploaded a series of Instagram photos revealing her engagement to Shonda, a chef from New Orleans.
She referred to her new fiancée as the “light of my life” and “fire of my loins” in the posts, adding hashtags which read: “Always more, never less. I said yes” and “I love you more than words.”
The Steven Universe creator came out as non-binary in July.
The 31-year-old is the mind behind the popular American cartoon series, which has repeatedly earned praise for its portrayal of queer characters like lesbians Ruby and Sapphire, who got engaged earlier this year.
Sugar, who has previously worked on Adventure Time and has been nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award five times, revealed: “One of the things that’s really important to me about the show is that the Gems are all non-binary women.
“They’re very specific and they’re coming from a world where they don’t really have the frame of reference. They’re coded female which is very important.”
Sugar added: “I am also a non-binary woman, which has been really great to express myself through these characters because it’s very much how I have felt throughout my life.”
We move on from one kind of brilliant writer to another, and Ronan Farrow’s decision in April to publicly come out.
The influential journalist, who was key in exposing Harvey Weinstein, quietly came out as he accepted an honour from the Point Foundation, which supports LGBTQ students.
The former NBC News personality, who is the son of Mia Farrow and director Woody Allen, told the audience: “Each and every LGBT person who has to go through a process of accepting themselves and turning rejection and isolation into strength is richer and more creative and more determined for that journey.”
The author and co-founder of The Toast came out in February, after realising his identity while researching for his latest book, The Merry Spinster.
“It turns out I’m trans!” said Ortberg, who has also written Texts From Jane Eyre.
“I’ve spent a lot of time thinking through this and going to support groups, and I started medical transition after an initial ‘trial period’ to see how I felt about it.”
He added: “I’ve been dealing with realising that the feelings I had before were not the whole story.
“How do I create a vision for the future that doesn’t negate the past? It was wild to have all of this come up consciously for me in the middle of writing the book.”
As well as culturally important people, the past year has also been notable for the political figures who have taken the brave step of revealing their true identities.
One of these was Huanwu, the grandson of Singapore’s first prime minister, who sparked celebrations in the country — where homosexuality is illegal — when he came out as gay in July.
Huanwu, who is also the nephew of current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, broke the news through Out in Singapore, an exhibition for “LGBTQ persons who wish to come out to family, friends and peers in the community.”
Huanwu, 31, changed his Facebook profile picture to a photo of him and Yirui Heng, a 27-year-old veterinarian, after they were pictured together in the exhibition.
Ahlers was on Denmark’s version of Dragons’ Den (Tommy Ahlers/facebook)
The Danish cabinet minister revealed he was bisexual after years of speculation.
Ahlers, who has been the Minister of Science, Technology, Information and Higher Education since May,
said that he was coming out publicly at the age of 42 because his position as a minister meant he could not hide any part of himself.
“When people mention that they have heard a rumour, I explain to them that it is not a rumour, because there is no touch of fiction in it,” he said.
“But the truth is also that I have come to the conclusion that I like both men and women.”
The French cabinet minister, who serves as Secretary of State for the Digital Sector, came out at 33 on the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia.
The En Marche politician wrote: “Homophobia is an ill that eats away at society, invades high schools, and poisons families and lost friends.
“Worse, it haunts the minds of gay people, and sometimes forces us to hide and lie to avoid hatred, to live.”
Jones, who sits in the Florida House of Representatives, came out as gay almost six years after he was first elected.
In doing so, the politician became the first openly gay African-American legislator in Florida.
He revealed that he had known he was gay since kindergarten, but only opened up about his sexuality around five years ago when he decided to tell his family.
Jones came out by allowing Equality Florida’s political director to include him in a list of endorsements of openly gay candidates, saying he was initially unsure if it would be the best “coming-out party” before deciding to go ahead.
And here’s one more for this retrospective, which was too ambiguous to include as a definitive coming out moment, but too amazing to leave out entirely.
Harry Styles with the Pride flag at one of his concerts (pukinghoran/twitter)
That’s right, the one and only Harry Styles provoked an outpouring of enthusiasm from fans earlier this year, after lyrics in his new song seemed to reveal he was queer.
But Styles’ lyrics for his song “Medicine” led his fans to explode with excitement and hail him as a bi icon, as the 24-year-old star sang: “The boys and the girls are here, I mess around with them, and I’m okay with it.”
He followed up those sensational lines by singing: “I’m coming down, I figured out I kinda like it, and when I sleep I’m gonna dream of how you tasted.”
Three people have been injured after a man opened fire outside a Texas LGBT+ bar.
An argument at a taco truck outside the Pegasus nightclub in San Antonio escalated after a man reportedly used a racial slur against another man, who then drove away while shooting a gun, injuring three people.
While the injuries suffered by the victims—two men and the club’s doorwoman—were not life-threatening, the attack stirred memories of the terrorist attack on Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida in 2016, which killed 49.
The club is a popular destination for queer people in San Antonio (PEGASUS NIGHTCLUB SAN ANTONIO/facebook)
Police have told KSAT that none of the people hit by gunfire were involved in the initial argument, adding that they were working to find the shooter.
The manager of Pegasus, Mike Rodriguez, described the incident to a News 4 reporter, saying: “A nicely dressed gentleman was ordering food.
The guy behind him I guess got irritated that he couldn’t make up his mind, called him a name. They started to push and shove each other.
The road has been blocked off (news 4)
“Our security broke it up, kept one inside, and took the other one outside, just to separate them. The one inside kept on yelling through the fence names at the other one and he got upset, and at that point, he walked off.
“Then a couple minutes later he came back here to the stop sign and he had a gun and he shot three times in the air,” Rodriguez added.
“They called me to the front and I came to the front and I told all the customers, everybody, to get inside, and started pushing people inside.
Bar manager Mike Rodriguez gave his account (KristinaDeLeon/twitter)
“We got mostly everybody cleared out of our outside area and I guess he got in his car, drove around the block behind us and came down this road and open-fired at the gate.”
While the Texas shooting does not appear terror-related, LGBT+ venues have faced increased security risks.
French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb told a committee of the National Assembly that the terrorists had a “plan of violent action” targeting “Parisian nightclubs and in particular gay clubs” in August 2017.
The Old Bailey heard that he had abused the positions at a mosque and a faith school to attempt to radicalise a number of children to build a home-grown jihadist army in the capital.
The arrest reportedly came after intelligence was provided by the US that indicated the teen was planning attacks on a gay venue and a Catholic church in the city.
A street sign in honor of lesbian campaigner Edie Windsor was unveiled on October 7.
“‘Don’t Postpone Joy’ today and take a stroll The Edie Windsor Way,” Windsor’s widow Judith Kasen-Windsor—her second wife—wrote on Facebook on Sunday, quoting one of the campaigner’s mantras.
Windsor died in September 2017 aged 88 after spending most of the past decade of her life fighting for the recognition of same-sex couples in the country.
From the Philadelphia City Council’s resolution:
WHEREAS, Edith “Edie” Schlain Windsor was a native Philadelphian, Temple University alumnus, iconic national LGBTQ-rights activist, and whose lawsuit against the federal government is widely regarded to have paved the way for nationwide marriage equality and is among the most important U.S. Supreme Court rulings for LGBTQ rights in American history.
WHEREAS, Edith Windsor was the lead plaintiff in the landmark 2013 case, United States v. Windsor, which led the U.S. Supreme Court to rule the Federal Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional, and for the first time guaranteed same-sex couples the right to federal recognition and benefits previously accorded to heterosexual spouses; and
WHEREAS, The City wishes to commemorate and honor the legacy of Edie Windsor through the renaming of the 200 block of South 13th Street in her honor; now, therefore be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That the 200 block of South 13th Street, between Walnut Street and Locust Street in the City of Philadelphia, shall henceforth also be known as “Edith Windsor Way”.
Edie’s block is in the heart of Philly’s gayborhood. I took the photo below at last year’s NYC Pride parade.
Seventy percent (70%) of all Americans say that a federal law is needed to protect LGBT people from discrimination in employment, public accommodations, housing and credit, according to a new survey conducted by TheHarris Poll®. This reflects a slight increase from 2016, when a similar Out & Equal commissioned Harris Poll survey reported 67% of Americans in favor of this policy.
Significantly, and by a similar margin, 68% of Americans say they are likely to shop at or support businesses that take a public stance in support of LGBTQ equality. These and other poll results were reported in the 2018 Out & Equal Workplace Survey, released in part today. This study was conducted online between September 13 and 17, by TheHarris Poll® in conjunction with Out & Equal Workplace Advocates among 2,006 U.S. adults, of whom 184 self-identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or transgender. First launched in 2002, the unique Out & Equal Workplace Survey is a highly trusted barometer of attitudes surrounding LGBTQ issues in the workplace and the longest-running national opinion survey of its kind.
Erin Uritus, CEO of Out & Equal Workplace Advocates, which commissioned this research in partnership with TheHarris Poll®, reacted to the outcomes: “What began as a ripple two decades ago is now a sea change in corporate America. The mission of Out & Equal has always been to educate, advocate and transform workplaces – and today we congratulate corporate leaders transforming our society with their outspoken dedication to equality.” Uritus added, “We see unmistakable evidence here that Americans strongly favor businesses, with their wallets and their words, when those businesses also stand up for equality principles.”
TRANSGENDER WORKPLACE RESPECT AND FAIRNESS
The newest Harris Poll research for Out & Equal also revisited 2016 attitudes on employer responsibilities towards their transgender workers, specifically finding that:
74% Americans believe employers should learn everyone’s pronouns and preferred name and use them in the workplace (73% in 2016).
65% Americans believe that employers should intervene when an employee regularly misuses a co-worker’s pronouns or preferred name (63% in 2016).
58% Americans believe that regularly misusing a colleague’s pronouns or preferred name is a form of workplace harassment (59% in 2016).
Significantly, 54% Americans believe employers should make health insurance coverage available to transgender people who wish to seek gender affirmation surgery (44% in 2016).
The 2018 survey explored new ground as well by asking Americans their perceptions of gender identity, with 4 out of 10 believing that one is either exclusively male or female, but nearly one-third (31%) concluding that there is not an exclusive binary definition of gender. One quarter (28%) of those surveyed say they are not sure.
LGBT AMERICANS MORE LIKELY TO MOVE OR CONSIDER MOVES TO ACCEPTING COMMUNITIES
Half of LGBT Americans (51%) surveyed say they have moved or considered a move to new locations to live in a community more accepting of all sexual orientations/gender identities. In contrast, 89% of non-LGBT Americans say they have not moved nor considered such a move for those reasons.
2018 Out & Equal Workplace Summit
The 2018 Out & Equal Workplace Summit takes place this week in Seattle, Washington, successfully attracting a record 6,000 attendees from more than 32 countries. LGBTQ executives, employees and straight allies, along with human resources and diversity professionals, representing a broad cross-section of the nation’s leading companies—a majority from the Fortune 500 — are participating in this year’s Summit, focused on achieving workplace equality and inclusion.
This Harris Poll was conducted online (in partnership with Out & Equal with guidance and support from Witeck Communications) within the United States between September 13 and 17, 2018, among 2,006 adults (ages 18 and over), of whom 184 self-identified as gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender. Figures for age, sex, race, education, region and income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting also was used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online.
All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, The Harris Poll avoids the words “margin of error” as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal.
Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in The Harris Poll surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the adult population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to participate in The Harris Poll, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.
These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.
About Out & Equal Workplace Advocates
Out & Equal Workplace Advocates is the world’s premiere nonprofit organization dedicated to achieving lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender workplace equality. Out & Equal collaborates with Fortune 1000 companies and government agencies to provide a safe, welcoming and supportive environment for LGBT employees.
For over two decades, since 1996, Out & Equal has worked with executives, human resources professionals and Employee Resource Groups to provide leadership and professional development, education and research.
Out & Equal hosts an annual Workplace Summit, where employees and experts from around the world gather to share strategies and best practices to create workplace equality, inclusive of all sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions. For more information go to www.outandequal.org.
About The Harris Poll®
The Harris Poll is one of the longest running surveys in the U.S. tracking public opinion, motivations and social sentiment since 1963 that is now part of Harris Insights & Analytics, a global consulting and market research firm that delivers social intelligence for transformational times. We work with clients in three primary areas; building twenty-first-century corporate reputation, crafting brand strategy and performance tracking, and earning organic media through public relations research. Our mission is to provide insights and advisory to help leaders make the best decisions possible. For more information, or to see other recent polls, visit us at TheHarrisPoll.com and follow us on Twitter @HarrisPoll.
About Witeck Communications, Inc.
Witeck Communications, Inc. (www.witeck.com) is a leading strategic marketing communications firm, specializing in outreach, advocacy and engagement with LGBTQ communities. In 2003, American Demographics magazine identified Bob Witeck one of 25 experts over the last 25 years who has made significant contributions to demographics, market research, media and trend spotting for his path breaking work on the LGBTQ market.
A new US government policy may make it impossible for some LGBT UN staff to live together with their partners in the United States.
Starting today, UN staff, including those working at global headquarters in New York, will need proof of marriage to secure visas allowing their partners to reside with them in the US. This will have an insidious impact on same-sex couples from countries that ban same-sex marriage or only offer civil unions.
Since 2009, UN staff working in the United States have brought their partners into the country without showing a marriage license. Now, domestic partners of UN staff who are already in the United States could face deportation “unless they submit the required proof of marriage.” Those not yet in the country will need to show they’re married to secure a visa, potentially forcing those living in countries without marriage equality to choose between a posting at UN headquarters or family separation.
UN staff come from around the world, and in the vast majority of countries same-sex marriage is not legal. Only 25 countries provide for marriage equality, although Austria, Taiwan and Chile are expected to revise their laws soon. In over 70 countries, however, homosexual conduct remains illegal and in many, anyone found “guilty” can be sentenced to harsh punishments including years in prison or even public caning.
UN staff seeking US visas to work at headquarters could theoretically get married in one of the 25 countries that allows same-sex marriage. However, in many situations registering a marriage could put same-sex couples at risk in a way that privately providing evidence of a domestic partnership would not have done. One Nigerian man (not a UN staffer) who married his same-sex partner abroad reported that both he and his family members in Nigeria received death threats as a result. Egypt, Tunisia, Cameroon, Tanzania, Indonesia, Uganda, Russia, and many other countries have arrested people for same-sex conduct.
While US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has made his personal opposition to marriage equality known, this latest policy reversal does not fit trends worldwide. For example, in a July ruling, Hong Kong’s highest court directed the government to recognize an unmarried same-sex couple for visa purposes.
The US government should recognize, as it had for almost nine years until today, that requiring a marriage as proof of bona fide partnership is a bad and cruel policy, one that replicates the terrible discrimination many LGBT people face in their own countries, and should be immediately reversed.
As Donald Trump’s SCOTUS pick, Brett Kavanaugh faces the Senate Judiciary Committee, some particularly heinous details of his past have come to light. Multiple women have come forward with allegations of sexual assault. And Kavanaugh’s Yale roommate, James Roche has come out in support of Deborah Ramirez and her account of being sexually threatened by Kavanaugh.
In an article published on The Cut, Kavanaugh and Roche’s other roommate, openly gay activist, Kit Winter recalls his experience living with Kavanaugh. Although there was practically no social dynamic between the three of them, Winter fondly remembers Roche.
“For the last 35 years, if anybody had said, ‘Tell me about Jamie Roche,’ I would have said, ‘Jamie Roche is the most stand-up guy you would ever hope to meet,’” says Winter. “Jamie stood out as centered, mature — more of a gentleman than the frat boys. He had nice manners.”
His memory of Kavanaugh is not nearly as flattering. He recalls him and his frat brothers as “loud, obnoxious frat boy-like drunks.”
“There was a lot of vomit in the bathroom,” he says. “No one ever cleaned it up. It was disgusting. It wasn’t incidental. It wasn’t, ‘Oh, this weekend someone puked in the bathroom.’ People were constantly puking in the bathroom. Constantly.”
As a recently-out 18-year-old freshman, Winter felt more isolated at that point in his life. It didn’t help attending what was a much more conservative school at the time.
“I was out, but I was still a little alienated,” he says. “I was not really a joiner, I don’t think. Yale was not a particularly gay-friendly environment, but I was also not a particularly friendly person. I looked alienated. I felt alienated. I drank a lot.”
One memory Winter shared in the article was particularly cruel. One day, he came home to find a dead pigeon nailed to his door. It wasn’t the door of their suite, but to his bedroom.
“It wasn’t rotten or anything,” he says. “I assumed that someone found a dead bird on the ground. I interpreted it as an act of social hostility slash terrorism. I thought it was a very clear message. ‘We don’t like you, and we don’t want you here.’ I didn’t know who it was who didn’t want me here. I didn’t know who had done it.”
Winter didn’t call the police or tell any of the school’s administrators. Instead, he told a few friends and threw the bird away.
“I think my general response was, screw you. I’m not going anywhere,” he says.
Lesbian candidate for Texas governor Lupe Valdez rejected anti-transgender bathroom legislation — once a priority for anti-LGBT Gov. Greg Abbott — as “fear-mongering” in a debate Friday night with her opponent.
During the debate at the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library in Austin, KSAT-TV anchor Steve Spriester asked Abbott whether he’d sign a bill barring transgender people from using the restroom consistent with their gender identity.
Abbott, the Republican incumbent, initially dodged and talked about his priorities, including cutting property taxes, job creation and arresting gang members, eliminating gun violence in schools and taking care of Hurricane Harvey victims.
“That is going to be my agenda this coming session. Period,” Abbott said.
Pressed by Spriester on whether the anti-trans bathroom would be on the agenda, Abbott replied, “Not on my agenda.”
Arguably Abbott’s assertion anti-trans legislation isn’t a priority for him marks a slight change in position for the governor, who last year called for a special session of the Texas legislature to pass anti-trans legislation.
But when asked if he’d sign such a measure should it came to his desk, Abbott hedged.
“I won’t sign hypothetical bills,” Abbott said. “All I can tell you is what my agenda is, which I did, and what I’m going to be focused on during the session.”
Valdez, a Democratic candidate and the first openly gay person to run for governor in Texas with a major party nomination, took the opportunity of her time to respond to denounce the anti-trans legislation.
“He listed gang members and several other things, and I’m almost wondering does that mean that transgenders are gang members because that’s what he was going after,” Valdez said. “There is a continual fear-mongering, and I don’t believe in laws that start out with fear. We need to stop the fear-mongering in our laws and get down to what really matters to all Texans: To have an equality life, to have an equal and fair opportunity in this state instead of just dealing with people that you don’t agree with.”
Although anti-LGBT forces last year sought to pass an anti-trans bathroom bill in Texas, the measure was defeated in the state legislature following outcry from the business community and LGBT advocates. Abbott called for a special session of legislature solely for the passing the legislation to give the measure new life, but it still didn’t succeed. Major businesses — including IBM, which has a large presence in Texas — opposed the legislation.
In a seeming attempt to justify the anti-trans legislation, Abbott responded by talking about the importance of safety, which has been a talking point for proponents of bathroom bills.
“All Texans want to make sure that they and their families are safe,” Abbott said. “One reason I talk about safety tonight is because I talk about safety every day.”
Concerns laws against discrimination enabling sexual predators has proven unfounded based on the lack of problems in jurisdictions with such laws on the books, including 20 states and D.C.
The Williams Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles, made public a study that found after passage of these laws, there were actually fewer incidents of privacy and safety violations than in places without gender-identity inclusive public accommodations laws.
Abbott then pivoted to law enforcement organizations that have endorsed him for re-election, asserting they support because they know he’ll “work with law enforcement to keep Texas safe.”
Valdez, a former Dallas County sheriff, conceded these organizations endorsed him, but attributed that to her sher tenure as sheriff, when she said “took on the good ‘ol boys” and made changes.
“Not everybody was happy, and yes, they have a habit of endorsing the incumbent, but the governor holds the purse, and he holds it with a vengeance,” Valdez said. “I personally know about that, so why wouldn’t they endorse him?”
Despite the expected Democratic “blue” wave in November, Abbott enjoys a healthy lead over Valdez in the polls. Last month, a Quinnipiac poll found Abbott has a 19-point advantage and leads Valdez 58-39.
A federal judge ruled Sunday that a 2017 law replacing the controversial HB2 doesn’t prohibit transgender people from using restrooms and other public facilities that correspond to gender identity.
U.S. District Judge Thomas D. Schroeder also allowed a legal challenge to go forward on one part of the new law, known as HB142. The challenge is to the part of the law which, until Dec. 1, 2020, prohibits local governments from passing any nondiscrimination ordinances regulating public accommodations or private business practices.
“While HB142 does not prohibit plaintiffs’ efforts at advocacy, it plainly makes them meaningless by prohibiting even the prospect of relief at the local level,” Schroeder wrote in his opinion.
House Bill 142 was passed and signed into law last year to replace House Bill 2, which is known mostly for requiring transgender people in government buildings and schools to use restrooms, locker rooms or showers that corresponded to the genders listed on their birth certificates — not the person’s gender identity.
House Bill 2 also established a statewide nondiscrimination ordinance that excluded LGBT people. Another part of the law, later repealed, kept people from filing workplace discrimination lawsuits in state courts.
Republicans in the General Assembly quickly passed HB2 after the Charlotte City Council approved a nondiscrimination policy that allowed transgender people to use public facilities according to gender identity. Republicans argued that HB2 was needed to keep girls and women safe from sexual predators who might take advantage of an ordinance similar to Charlotte’s.
House Bill 2 sparked a national backlash in which several sporting leagues pulled events from the state and musical stars canceled concerts. Some businesses called off expansion plans in the state because of the law. Lawsuits were filed against HB2 in U.S. District Court.
An amended lawsuit set its sights on HB142. Plaintifffs argued that the new law didn’t solve anything and created new problems. They said the law was so vague that transgender people didn’t know if they would be criminally prosecuted for using restrooms that correspond to their gender identity.
Schroeder held a hearing in June in U.S. District Court in Winston-Salem on motions to dismiss that were filed by House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland and Senate Leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham. The University of North Carolina system also filed a motion to dismiss.
In his ruling Sunday, Schroeder largely rejected arguments that transgender people were being harmed because of the new law’s vagueness. He said he was not persuaded that transgender people were being harmed because of the new law. He said the new law appeared to return things to the pre-HB2 status quo, when transgender people frequently used restrooms according to gender identity.
But Schroeder also found there were possible equal protection issues with the part of HB142 that prohibits local governments from passing anti-discrimination ordinances. He said the law makes it harder for transgender people to advocate for policy changes that would benefit them.
“It is definitionally the case that a facially neutral law will ‘on its face,’ treat all citizens ‘in an identical manner,'” Schroeder wrote. “But in the instant case, plaintiffs allege that ‘the reality is that the law’s impact falls on the minority.’ It is transgender individuals, not biological-access advocates, who allege denial of the equal protection of the laws.”
Berger and Moore did not have immediate comment on the decision.
Joaquin Carcano, lead plaintiff in the lawsuit, said she was relieved “to finally have the court unequivocally say that there is no law in North Carolina that can be used to bar transgender people from using restrooms that match who we are.”
“For the past two and a half years, I have been unable to use restrooms in my home state without worrying that I will be subject to discrimination, harassment or even arrest,” she said in a statement. “Our community has faced so much discrimination because of HB2 and HB142, and this decision will give us more support to defend the rights and basic humanity of our community members across the state.”
Chris Brook, legal director of the ACLU of North Carolina, said the decision lessens some but not all of the harm of HB142 and HB2.
“The court’s decision does not account for the very real injuries LGBT people have faced under both HB2 and HB142, but we will continue fighting for the rights of all LGBT people in North Carolina as this case proceeds. The bottom line is that LGBT North Carolinians deserve to feel secure in knowing that when they go about their daily lives and interact with businesses open to the public, any discrimination they encounter is unacceptable.”
Helen Thornton has filed a lawsuit seeking spousal survivor’s benefits. (Helen J. Thornton/Facebook)
A lesbian has filed a lawsuit accusing US authorities of denying her of spousal survivor’s benefits because her long-term partner died before same-sex marriage was legal.
Helen Thornton, from Washington state, lodged the case with LGBT+ civil rights organisation Lambda Legal, seeking the the benefits based on her relationship with her parter of 27 years, Margery Brown, who died in 2006.
Thornton claims that it is unconstitutional for the Social Security Administration (SSA) to exclude her from claiming benefits because she was unable to marry her partner before she died.
Thornton (left) and partner Margery. (Lambda Legal)
Same-sex marriage was legalised in all 50 states in the US in June 2015, following a Supreme Court decision.
“The federal government is requiring surviving same-sex partners like Helen to pass an impossible test to access the benefits that they’ve earned through a lifetime of work: they need to have been married to their loved ones, but they were barred from marrying by discriminatory laws then in existence,” said Lambda Legal counsel Peter Renn.
“We are beyond the day when the government can deny equal treatment to same-sex couples. But, by withholding these benefits, the federal government is breathing life into the same discriminatory marriage laws that the Supreme Court has already struck down.”
In the US, couples are generally required to be married for a minimum of nine months before their spies dies in order for the living partner to get survivor’s benefits.
The amount of money given in these benefits is based on the income of the deceased partner.
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Thronton and Brown met at a women’s art group in 1978 and started a relationship a year later, which lasted until Brown’s death in 2006.
“Margie and I were fortunate to share 27 years of love and commitment together on this earth,” said Thornton.
“Like other committed couples, we built a life together, formed a family, and cared for each other in sickness and in health.
“Although we wanted to express our love for each other through marriage, discriminatory laws barred us from doing so before Margie’s death.”
Equal marriage was legalised in the US in June 2015. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
She added: “Now, in my retirement years, I’m barred from receiving the same benefits as other widows, even though Margie and I both worked hard and paid into the social security system with every paycheck.”
Thornton, 63, is semi-retired and has a job looking after animals to supplement her income.
She applied for survivor’s benefits in 2015, when she was 60 years old, which is the age surviving spouses are eligible to receive the benefit.
However, the SSA rejected her application because the couple were not married at the time of Brown’s death.
“Same-sex couples who weren’t able to marry faced discrimination throughout their lives, and now the surviving partner faces it all over again, after their loved one has died. It’s like pouring salt in a wound. Denied equality in life, they are denied equality once again in death,” Renn added.
