Today, a federal judge ordered the U.S. Department of Defense and Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan to halt discharge proceedings against HIV-positive members of the U.S. Air Force. The order came in the case of Roe and Voe v. Shanahan, filed by Lambda Legal and OutServe-SLDN, with partner law firm Winston & Strawn, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
The two Airmen serving as plaintiffs, who filed pseudonymously, were given discharge orders at the end of last year after being found “unfit for continued military service” despite compliance with medical treatment and physical fitness requirements.
Despite support from their medical providers and commanding officers, the first of these Airmen was to be separated from service in just ten days. In granting the preliminary injunction, the judge ruled the plaintiffs were likely to succeed in preventing their discharge through the lawsuit and rejected the Trump Administration’s motion to dismiss.
“This is a major victory in our fight to ensure everyone living with HIV can serve their country without discrimination,” said Scott Schoettes, Counsel and HIV Project Director at Lambda Legal.
“These decisions should be based on science, not stigma, as today’s ruling from the bench demonstrates. Despite President Trump’s promise to improve the lives of people living with HIV at the State of the Union this month, his Administration continues to defend these policies and others discriminating against people most impacted by HIV. Lambda Legal will keep fighting until these brave and qualified Airmen can serve without limitation.”
An 11-year-old student needs to be escorted to her classes after a violent attack and a series of threats.
Savannah Tirre, a sixth-grader at Zia Middle School in Las Cruces, New Mexico, has been threatened on social media by her peers. She has now returned to school. The tween is being escorted to lessons by a Mesilla town marshal, according to Las Cruces Sun News.
Her mother told the news site she has been the target of bullying since October after Tirre came out as gay. The bullying began at her former school Picacho Middle School, forcing her to transfer to Zia.
She came out in the summer after fifth grade
The bullying only continued in her new school.
On Friday (8 February), students published a video on Facebook showing Tirre being punched six times by a student. The bully is not identified.
While the video doesn’t explicitly mention her sexuality, comments on social media threaten more violence and called her gay. One comment seen by the Sun News shows one person calling her ‘a little lesbian’ while saying she is ‘about to get jumped Monday again so get your phones out’.
Her mother has now filed a police report.
Savannah Tirre came out to her mother after graduating from fifth grade at Mesilla Elementary School.
Her family have always accepted her, but the students have not been so kind. According to her mother, the bullying was so intense that she started experiencing seizures that required medical attention by a pediatric intensive care unit.
The school have launched action plans to monitor the physical and emotional health of Tirre. Disciplinary action against the bullies have not yet decided, but the school said Savannah will not face suspension for fighting back.
Over 100 trans people are being held in the custody of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
There are at least 111 ‘self-identified transgender individuals’ are being held in 20 different facilities across the US, according to ICE spokeswoman, Danielle Bennett.
Of this number, 45 trans women are being held in the privately operated South Texas Detention Complex, located about 55 miles southwest of San Antonio.
Bennett also confirmed that there are a number of trans people being detained in the Cibola County Correctional Center in New Mexico, which has a specialist unit for trans detainees, the Washington Blade reports.
The Cibola County Correctional Center gained notoriety last year as the facility Honduran trans woman Roxsana Hernández was held in before she died in a nearby hospital.
Roxsana Hernandez, the trans woman who died in the custody of US immigration, was only 33 | Photo: Facebook/Familia: Trans Queer Liberation Movement
Hernández’ death caused outrage among activists, many of whom claimed the HIV-positive 33-year-old died from preventable causes.
Three Democratic Senators, Tom Udall, Martin Heinrich, and Kamala Harris, wrote a letter to ICE demanding an explanation over Hernández’ death.
‘According to ICE, Lovelace Medical Center preliminarily listed Ms. Hernández’s cause of death as cardiac arrest,’ the letter read.
‘The Transgender Law Center had an independent autopsy performed that suggested severe complications of dehydration on top of an H.I.V. infection and also suggested that Ms. Hernández was beaten with a baton or similar object while she was restrained by handcuffs.’
Bennett denied these accusations in a previous statement.
Countless LGBTI people are among refugees seeking asylum at the southern border of the US after fleeing persecution in their home countries.
Trans communities face particular discrimination in South America, which is the deadliest continent for trans people.
The debate over refugees and asylum seekers has become particularly divisive during the presidency of Donald Trump.
The White House has implemented a number of hardline policies with regards to immigrants.
In turn, human rights groups have condemned the US government for ‘cruel’ and inhumane treatment of migrants and asylum seekers.
Trump has also been accused of stoking fears over immigration to help secure funding to build a wall along the southern border, one of his main campaign promises during the 2016 presidential election.
A former teacher from Virginia is suing the school district where she used to work, saying she was told to dress in a “more feminine” way and harassed for being a lesbian.
Dina Persico, who used to be a civics teacher, is suing Chesterfield County Public Schools for gender discrimination, reports ABC 8News.
Persico, who has filed a federal lawsuit, told 8News that administrators told her that her “appearance is too flamboyant.”
She added: “It’s said with intent and that intent is to say that you’re gay.”
Former civics teacher: I was told my appearance is “too flamboyant”
The ex-teacher said the alleged harassment was started by staff at Providence Middle School but got worse when she moved on to work at Midlothian High School.
“It was suggested that if I seemed more feminine, I would be less intimidating as a person,” explained Persico.
Persico claimed that one school principal even questioned her appearance, telling her: “If you just throw a skirt on once in a while, we wouldn’t have any of these problems.”
She claimed that on one occasion she was banned from using the women’s toilets.Gut Doctor “I Beg Americans To Throw Out This Vegetable”Top U.S. doctor finally speaks out about the danger in your kitchen, American’s #1 favorite vegetable isn’t what you think it is.Ad by United Naturals
“It was suggested that if I seemed more feminine, I would be less intimidating as a person.”
—Dina Persico
The former teacher, who was praised by her students at both schools in the district, explained that she normally wore a shirt, trousers, trainers, and a sweater or fleece to work.
She said that her work outfits were similar to those of other colleagues, highlighting one male English teacher specifically, who were not asked to change their appearance.
Persico’s employees handbook contains little information on the dress code, stating only that teachers must have a “professional image.”
Lesbian teacher claims she was banned from women’s restroom
Persico also alleged that she was asked to grow bangs in a school meeting where her wife, who is also a teacher, was present.
Her wife Erin Guthe told 8News: “It’s very clear to me that my wife was discriminated against because of the way that she expresses her gender.
“I think I and women like me are given more of a pass because we appear more feminine.”
Persico said she had a mini-stroke, which her doctor said was “100 percent related to stress.”
Chesterfield Schools declined to provide a statement to 8News, saying it did not comment on pending lawsuits.
Persico said she hopes the lawsuit will mean that the district trains staff properly and that employees learn that what “they did to me was wildly inappropriately.”
The number of anti-LGBT hate crimes reported in D.C. in 2018 nearly doubled from the number of reported cases in 2016, according to recently released data by D.C. police.
The data show there were a total of 97 reported hate crimes in the nation’s capital in 2018 based on the victims’ sexual orientation or gender identity or expression, representing an increase from 59 such cases in 2016 and 69 anti-LGBT hate crimes reported in 2017.
The number of anti-LGBT hate crimes reported in D.C. in 2018 also amounted to nearly half the total number of all hate crimes reported in the city that year, which came to 209. The anti-LGBT figures were significantly higher than other categories of hate crimes such as those based on a victim’s, ethnicity (49), race (39), or religion (12).
The police data show that most of the cases for each of the past three years in D.C. involved hate crimes based on the victim’s sexual orientation, although hate crimes targeting transgender people also rose sharply but made up fewer cases.
The reported cases based on sexual orientation in the District included 61 in 2018, 56 in 2017, and 20 in 2016. The number of gender identity and expression cases where transgender people were targeted included 36 in 2018, 13 in 2017, and 19 in 2016.
A recent report released by California State University’s Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism shows that hate crimes have increased in many cities across the country over the past two years. The report says anti-LGBT hate crimes similar to D.C. are most prevalent in many other cities.
Both activists and city officials in D.C., including Mayor Muriel Bowser, have cited what they call a hostile political environment from the Trump administration as a potential cause for the uptick in hate crimes.
“I do think that the president of the United States has been very actively tearing down protections for the LGBTQ community, whether it’s in the military or whether it’s in employment,” said Monica Palacio, director of the D.C. Office of Human Rights.
“I personally, in my work, I know that over the last 25 years when you have a national role model spewing homophobia a lot is going to happen in the way people treat one another,” Palacio told the Washington Blade. “And it’s going to tear down that kind of common decency and sense of respect for people’s life choices,” she said.
D.C. Police Lt. Brett Parson, who oversees the department’s LGBT Liaison Unit, said he believes at least some of the increased numbers of reported hate crimes in D.C. are due to a policy put in place two years ago by D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham to educate the public about hate crimes and to encourage citizens to report such crimes.
“Our outreach and our relationship with members of the community continue to get stronger and stronger,” Parson said. “And that’s probably the reason why you’re seeing more people report their victimization,” he said. “And then you have to admit also that there are probably more bias-related crimes occurring.”
Data released by D.C. police through a large spreadsheet show that the anti-LGBT hate crimes reported in 2018 took place in all parts of the city, with many appearing to occur in neighborhoods not known to have gay bars or a visible LGBT presence such as Dupont Circle or Adams Morgan.
D.C. police point out that a hate crime is not considered an actual crime in and of itself but rather a “designation” linked to a crime such as assault, robbery, destruction of property or threats of violence. A statement on the police website notes that “most speech is not a hate crime, regardless of how offensive it may be.”
Under D.C.’s hate crimes law a person found guilty of a “bias related” or hate crime may be fined up to one and a half times the maximum fine and imprisoned for up to one and a half times the maximum prison term for the underlying crime such as assault, murder or other crimes with a hate crime attachment.
The state’s new schools chief is calling on lawmakers to repeal a law that prohibits any courses on AIDS and HIV from portraying homosexuality “as a positive alternative lifestyle.”
In her first-ever State of Education speech, Kathy Hoffman told members of the House Education Committee on Monday the system needs to support the emotional well-being of students. She said that means “creating an inclusive environment that supports children from all backgrounds.”
And Hoffman said that also means recognizing that students come from all types of families, even those with two moms or two dads. Hoffman said educators also must consider students who are more likely to be bullied and harassed. She said that includes students in the LGBTQ community.
US President Donald Trump pledged to end HIV transmissions by 2030 in his State of the Union address last night.
Speaking in Washington, D. C., Trump said: ‘In recent years we have made remarkable progress in the fight against HIV and AIDS. Scientific breakthroughs have brought a once-distant dream within reach.
‘My budget will ask Democrats and Republicans to make the needed commitment to eliminate the HIV epidemic in the United States within 10 years. We have made incredible strides, incredible.’
‘Together, we will defeat AIDS in America and beyond,’ he furthermore added.
But LGBTIs have responded with scepticism, pointing out Trump’s ‘dangerous anti-equality record.’
An alternative State of the Union address by the Human Rights Campaign, published on their website and amplifying the voices of LGBTI Americans, offered a blistering response.
‘His administration must reverse their attacks on Medicaid’
Aryah Lester the Deputy Director, Transgender Strategy Center, told HRC: ‘Transgender people and people living with HIV deserve a government that has our backs.
‘If Donald Trump truly wants to stop the spread of HIV, his administration must reverse their attacks on Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act and the rights of LGBTQ patients. No real public health agenda can ever include dangerous cuts or discrimination against those who need services the most.’
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi meanwhile confirmed she had invited two trans military serve members to watch the State of the Union address in the House chambers.
‘This is a presidency rooted in prejudice and fear’
HRC President Chad Griffin also added: ‘For more than two years, Donald Trump and Mike Pence have made attacking LGBTQ people and other marginalized communities a top priority of their administration.
‘From undermining protections for transgender youth, to threatening to deport Dreamers, to attempting to ban transgender service members from the military, to working to eviscerate health care coverage for those most vulnerable – this is a presidency rooted in prejudice and fear.
‘But at every turn, we have put up roadblocks on this administration’s path of destruction and discrimination, uniting with our allies across movements.’
He furthermore added: ‘Now, with a pro-equality majority in the House of Representatives poised to pass the Equality Act and tackle other critical issues, we continue to demonstrate that when we stand together we are a force to be reckoned with.’
Transgender activist Barbra ‘Babs’ Casbar Siperstein died on Sunday (3 February) at the age of 76.
Throughout her life, Siperstein accomplished much and made a legacy for herself.
In 2009, the Democratic National Committee appointed her as a member. She became the first openly transender person serving on the committee.
She remained in that position until 2011, when they promoted her to the executive committee, where she served until 2017.
Two days before her death, a law went into effect in New Jersey named after her.
The Babs Siperstein Law allows transgender, non-binary, and other gender nonconforming people to request a change on their birth certificate from a registrar. Previously, they needed a doctor’s confirmation that their gender had been surgically changed.
Testaments to her legacy
Many people and organizations in New Jersey remembered Siperstein fondly.
Garden State Equality wrote a lengthy and touching tribute to her on Facebook.
‘She was an architect of our movement,’ they wrote, describing her as an icon like Harvey Milk and Sylvia Rivera.
‘In the long and proud history of New Jersey’s LGBTQ community, few voices spoke with the power and passion of Babs Siperstein,’ he said.
He also requested all state buildings and facilities fly their flags at half-mast in honor and remembrance of her.
Beyond her political impact, Siperstein also boasted a personal impact on people’s lives.
One mother wrote that Siperstein saved her son’s life. Her son was attending therapy for his depression regarding his transgender identity and subsequent bullying. That is where the pair met and connected, as she did with so many across New Jersey.
State Republicans in Virginia are being slammed for refusing to allow a vote on LGBTI non-discrimination laws.
LGBTI civil rights group, Human Rights Campaign (HRC) responded to the ‘shameful decision’ by Virginia Speaker of the House Kirk Cox, Majority Chairman Tim Hugo. He and other leaders in the House of Delegates, refused to bring up LGBTI non-discrimination protections for a vote in the General Laws committee.
According to HRC, similar bills have passed the Virginia Senate several years in a row with bipartisan support.
Recent polling showed both bills have majority support from Republicans in Virginia. Republican polling firm, The Tarrance Group, completed the poll in 2018. It found 55% of Republican voters believe it should be against the law to discriminate against LGBTI people in housing.
The poll also found that 59% of Republican voters believe it ‘should be against the law to discriminate in public employment against someone who is gay or transgender’.
‘It’s shameful that Speaker Cox, Majority Caucus Chairman Tim Hugo and leaders in the House of Delegates continue to use every political trick in the book to kill these crucial, commonsense non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ Virginians,’ said Marty Rouse, HRC National Field Director.
‘For several years in a row, bills that would protect LGBTQ Virginians from discrimination in housing and public employment have passed the state Senate, but House leadership continues to obfuscate the political process and obstruct this legislation.
‘Let’s be clear: Cox is using LGBTQ people as political pawns.
‘This fall, voters in Virginia will head to the polls to elect their state representatives. If current leaders cowardly refuse to protect all Virginians, then voters will elect lawmakers who will. We will remember this in November.’
Senator Cory Booker has announced his run for president in 2020.
The New Jersey Democrat chose the first day of Black History Month to announce his run.
He announced: ‘The history of our nation is defined by collective action; by interwoven destinies of slaves and abolitionists; of those born here and those who chose America as home; of those who took up arms to defend our country, and those who linked arms to challenge and change it.’
Booker will be the second black senator to join the presidential race, alongside his colleague Senator Kamala Harris.
Rumors have long suggested that Booker could be gay due to his unmarried, single status.Cory Booker is running for president
In a recent interview in December 2018 with the Philadelphia Inquirer, he addressed these rumors.
‘I’m heterosexual,’ he said simply.
Booker added, however, his opinion of political candidates is they should be authentic.
He explained: ‘Every candidate should run on their authentic self, tell their truth, and more importantly, or mostly importantly, talk about their vision for the country.’
Booker served as mayor of Newark from 2006 to 2013. In 2013, the people of New Jersey elected him senator. He has been serving in that position ever since.Ally to the LGBTI community
When same-sex marriage became legal in New Jersey on 21 October 2013, Booker officiated nine weddings in city hall shortly after midnight.
A heckler yelled out ‘it is unlawful in the eyes of God’ during the ‘speak now or forever hold your peace’ part of the ceremony. In response, Booker simply stated: ‘Not hearing any substantive and worthy objections, I now will proceed with the vows.’
Before the state legalized marriage equality, he refused to officiate any weddings.
This was his way of ‘protesting the painful reality that I could not marry all citizens equally’.
In 1992, he wrote about realizing the similarities between growing up black and gay for the Stanford student newspaper. A counselor at the school discussed the realities of people growing up gay.
‘It was chilling to find that so much of the testimony was almost identical to stories my grandparents told me about growing up black. People found it revolting to share a meal with them and often felt it to be their duty to beat them so that they would learn proper living,’ he wrote.
‘In these efforts I have found another community with which I feel akin and from which I draw strength. The gay people with whom I am close are some of the strongest people I know — and their demands for justice are no less imperative than those of any other community.’
