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Obama Signs Executive Order On LGBT Job Discrimination

President Barack Obama on Monday signed an executive order banning workplace discrimination against millions of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees of federal contractors and the federal government.

The executive order has two parts: It makes it illegal to fire or harass employees of federal contractors based on their sexual orientation or gender identity, and it explicitly bans discrimination against transgender employees of the federal government. The part targeting federal contractors affects 24,000 companies employing roughly 28 million workers, or about one-fifth of the nation’s workforce.

“America’s federal contracts should not subsidize discrimination against the American people,” Obama said during remarks at the White House just before signing the order. “I’m going to do what I can with the authority I have to act.”

The provision affecting federal employees takes effect immediately, while employees of federal contractors will have their new protections in place by early next year, according to senior administration officials.

To the relief of the LGBT community, Obama did not include a sweeping religious exemption in the executive order — something the community feared could happen in the wake of last month’s Supreme Court ruling in the Hobby Lobby case.

Instead, Obama simply added the categories of sexual orientation and gender identity to an existing executive order that protects employees of federal contractors from discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin. President George W. Bush amended that executive order in 2002 to allow religiously affiliated federal contractors to prioritize hiring employees of their particular religion, however, and Obama is keeping that language intact.

Obama is fulfilling a 2008 campaign promise with his action targeting federal contractors. His action affecting federal employees, meanwhile, responds to what some have described as a shortcoming in existing governmental rules. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ruled in 2012 that the federal ban on sex discrimination covers transgender discrimination, but those affected by that rule change say the government hasn’t been enforcing it and that they continue to be discriminated against.

It is still legal in 32 states to fire or harass someone at work for being LGBT. Congress could remedy that by passing the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which already passed the Senate. But Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has refused to bring the bill up for a vote in the House.

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Oklahoma’s Same-Sex Marriage Ban Overturned

A federal appeals court on Friday ruled Oklahoma must allow gay couples to wed, marking the second time it has found the U.S. Constitution protects same-sex marriage.

The decision from a three-judge panel in Denver upholds rulings that struck down Oklahoma’s gay marriage ban.

The 2-1 ruling comes after the same panel ruled June 25 that Utah’s ban on same-sex marriage violates the Constitution. It was the first time an appellate court determined last year’s U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down the Defense of Marriage Act means states cannot deny gays the ability to wed.

The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel put its Oklahoma and Utah rulings on hold pending an appeal. Utah’s attorney general has said he plans to appeal to the Supreme Court.

Gay marriage in the two states will remain on hold.

Still, the decisions give increased momentum to a legal cause that has compiled an impressive string of lower court victories. More than 20 courts have issued rulings siding with gay marriage advocates since the Supreme Court’s DOMA ruling in June 2013. The rulings have come in 17 states, with Florida being the latest.

Two of the most striking of those decisions were in conservative Utah and Oklahoma, which saw their voter-approved gay marriage bans struck down in December and January, respectively. In Utah, more than 1,000 same-sex couples married before the Supreme Court issued a stay.

It’s unclear whether the two cases will be the first to reach the Supreme Court. The high court could choose from cases moving through five other federal appellate courts, and it won’t consider a case until next year at the earliest.

Attorneys representing Utah and Oklahoma argued voters have the right to define marriage in their states, and unions between a man and woman are best for children.

Gay rights lawyers countered that voters cannot define marriage in a way that deprives gay people of their fundamental rights, and say there is no proof that gay couples make inferior parents.

Ten years ago, nearly a dozen states outlawed gay marriage. Now same-sex marriage is legal in 19 states and the District of Columbia, and recent polls show a majority of Americans support it.

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A Forest Fire, A Motorcycle and a Wonder Woman Outfit – a Women’s Festival Comes Full Circle.

“Women’s Weekend”, the classic women’s music and comedy festival that has been happening in the Russian River area for over 27 years is being reinvented by it’s original founder.

In September of 1986 Carmen McKay was a worker at the West Coast Women’s Music and Comedy Festival near Yosemite when a large forest fire broke out endangering the lives of the 150 workers setting up for the festival, and ultimately, cancelling the festival itself. Carmen donned a Wonder Woman outfit she happen to have with her, and led the woman out of danger on her motorcycle. She then diverted 600 disappointed festival goers to the Atlantis Resort in Guerneville, CA. In 1987 Carmen began working with Eric Pariser, Manager of The Woods Resort in Guerneville to bring entertainment, a crafts faire and a large promotional outreach to build upon a smaller women’s gathering called,

“May Day” which was started in 1982 by The Woods and Fifes Resort. “Women’s Weekend” attracted 6000 women bi-annually to the area until the mid 90s when Carmen turned the festival over to the community. The festival eventually devolved into a smaller event with last May’s event at the Triple R Resort in Guerneville attracting approximately 300 women.

Carmen is reviving and reinventing the festival this September 12-14 with her partner, Annie Albright. Carmen and Annie own “She She”, an event production company focused on the over 35 lesbian market.

“Women’s Weekend 2.0” will be held at the outdoor Monte Rio Amphitheater in Monte Rio, CA and features headlining acts such as Beverly McClellan from NBC’s “The Voice” as well as comics Julie Goldman of Logo and Bravo TV and Suzanne Westenhoefer. The event also offers a golf tournament, crafts fair, flash mob dance, wine tasting, a Sunday Jazz and Blues line up, “The Largest Lesbian Single’s Mixer in the World” and many other activities.

“I’m so excited to bring Women’s Weekend back to it’s full glory! This festival will be focused on diversity, fun and connection. We are marketing to include the lesbians over 35 – not just the younger market – Baby Boomers are welcome! Many women refer to the festival as ‘The Dinah Soar’”. – referring to the large Dinah Shore festival in Palm Springs. The theme of the festival is: “Practice random acts of kindness”.

“The festival is designed to give women permission to really connect – rather than hide out in cliques” says Carmen. 10% of the festival profits will be donated to charity.

Friday and Saturday evening dance parties will be held at the River Theater in Guerneville with Bay Area DJ Rockaway of the “Play” Dances fame.

Camping and hotel accommodations exclusively for woman are available and listed on the Women’s Weekend 2.0 website. Early bird tickets are offered at a discount if purchased before August 15 also available on the website.

For more information contact Carmen McKay at rrwomensweekend@yahoo.com.

Website: www.womensweekend2.com

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Governor Brown Signs Bill Enshrining the Freedom to Marry in State Statutes

On July 7, Gov. Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 1306, authored by Sen. Mark Leno and co-sponsored by Attorney General Kamala D. Harris, Equality California and the National Center for Lesbian Rights. The bill will bring California statutory law into line with the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2013 decision restoring the freedom to marry in California.

While both the California and U.S. Supreme Courts have affirmed the right for same-sex couples to marry, current state laws in many cases do not reflect that change. SB 1306 ensures that references to “husband” and “wife” will be replaced with gender-neutral language such as “spouse” to recognize all married couples throughout the California code.

“I am pleased Governor Brown has recognized the importance of this bill, which makes it explicitly clear in state law that every loving couple has the right to marry in California,” said Sen. Leno. “This legislation removes outdated and biased language from state codes and recognizes all married spouses equally, regardless of their gender.”

“While we have achieved many milestones in the journey towards full equality for LGBT people — including the freedom to marry for same-sex couples — it’s important that we completely erase discrimination from the books,” said Rick Zbur, executive director-elect of EQCA. “This new law will take us one step further in that journey. We applaud Senator Leno for authoring this important legislation and Gov. Brown for signing it.”

“We are grateful for Sen. Leno’s legislation that will ensure the fair and equal treatment of all married couples in California,” said National Center for Lesbian Rights Executive Director Kate Kendell. “Although there is no question that same-sex couples can marry in California, the discriminatory language that remains on the statutory books creates confusion about the rights of same-sex couples. This law makes it clear to everyone that same-sex couples can marry and that all spouses have the exact same rights and responsibilities under the law, regardless of gender.”

SB 1306 officially becomes law on January 1, 2015.

Equality California (EQCA) is the largest statewide lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender advocacy organization in California. For more than a decade, Equality California has strategically moved California from a state with extremely limited legal protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people to a state with some of the most comprehensive human rights protections in the nation. Equality California has partnered with legislators to successfully sponsor 96 pieces of pro-equality legislation. EQCA continues to advance equality through legislative advocacy, electoral work, public education and community empowerment. www.eqca.org

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Burger King Offers Proud Whopper in SF

Burger King is celebrating gay pride with a message on its Whopper wrappers.

The fast-food chain says it will post a video online Wednesday that shows scenes from a San Francisco location where it sold a “Proud Whopper.” Customers were not told what is in the burger, which comes wrapped in rainbow paper. Once opened up, a message inside the wrapper states, “We are all the same inside.”

The idea is that the Proud Whopper is no different from the regular Whopper, despite its colorful packaging.

The marketing effort is part of Burger King’s push to connect with customers in a more meaningful way, particularly with the younger individuals fast-food chains are known for courting. As part of that push, Burger King recently said it was retiring its “Have It Your Way” slogan in favor of the more personal “Be Your Way” (Ad Age pointed out the phrase was “grammatically challenged”).

Whether the new approach can help Burger King Worldwide Inc. boost sales remains to be seen. The company, based in Miami, was acquired and taken private by 3G Capital in 2010. The Brazilian private investment firm took the chain public again in 2012 in a deal that allowed it to retain a majority stake while more than recouping its investment.

3G has been trying to revitalize Burger King’s image and menu ever since with mixed results in the U.S., where traditional fast-food chains have struggled amid competition from newer players such as Chipotle. Last year, Burger King’s sales at established North American locations slipped 0.9 percent.

The chain says the “Proud Whopper” video was shot over the past weekend in San Francisco, near where the city held its 44th annual gay pride parade. Fernando Machado, who heads global brand management for Burger King, said in a phone interview the “Proud Whopper” will remain on the menu until Thursday.

A rough cut of the two-minute video shows confused customers asking about the Proud Whopper, trying to figure out what makes it different, then later grasping what is happening.

“I think this wrapper means we all have the same rights,” a young child explains.

“A burger has never made me cry before,” says a young woman.

Another young woman uses an expletive to explain that it’s same stuff inside. The video also shows some negative reactions, including a man who says the chain will no longer have his business.

Burger King said the video was developed by the ad agency DAVID, and directed by Henry Alex Rubin, who also directed the film “Girl, Interrupted.”

Other food companies have also recently shown support for gay individuals, including Oreo-cookie maker Mondelez International Inc., which featured a gay couple in an ad for Honey Maid graham crackers, and Coca-Cola Co., which featured a gay couple in its Super Bowl ad.

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HRC Statement on the Death of Frank M. Robinson, Speechwriter to Harvey Milk

In response to news of the death of Frank M. Robinson, science fiction writer, LGBT activist and speechwriter to San Francisco City Supervisor Harvey Milk, Human Rights Campaign (HRC) president Chad Griffin issued the following statement.

“Through his collaboration with Harvey Milk, Frank Robinson gave the LGBT movement its rhetorical backbone–and brought hope to countless LGBT Americans, especially young people, for the very first time. I was lucky to meet Frank on my very first week on the job as HRC president, and though we all mourn his passing today, we’re overwhelmed with gratitude for his contributions to this fight for equality.”

Milk’s speeches, famously immortalized and dramatized in the 2008 Gus Van Sant film Milk, but also recorded in the celebrated 1984 documentary The Times of Harvey Milk, were the first by an openly gay elected official to lay out the moral and political case for equality.

Dustin Lance Black, who grew close to Robinson while writing the screenplay for Milk, joined HRC in remembrance:
“For Frank, the word ‘hope’ was not a notion for our dreams, it was a bold call for immediate action in a time when it was illegal to be gay in every corner of this nation. He offered Harvey his strength, wit and wisdom. He shared the same with me, still grimacing at the idea of partial equality and patience. He felt strongly that what he called a ‘checkerboard nation’ of contradictory laws still denied LGBT young people the hope and pride he so desperately wanted for them. So each time we spoke, he’d end with, ‘Fight on.’”

When Milk’s life was cut short by an assassin’s bullet in 1978, Robinson continued a distinguished career as a writer and author. Three of Robinson’s novels were made into films or television series during his lifetime.

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.

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Supreme Court Rejects Challenge To Law Banning Gay Therapy

The Supreme Court has rejected a challenge to California’s law that bars mental counseling aimed at turning gay minors straight.

 The justices on Monday let stand an appeals court ruling that said the state’s ban on so-called conversion therapy for minors doesn’t violate the free speech rights of licensed counselors and patients seeking treatment.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last year that California lawmakers properly showed that efforts to change sexual orientation were outside the scientific mainstream and have been rejected for good reason.

Liberty Counsel, a Christian legal aid group, had challenged the law along with other supporters of the therapy. They argue that lawmakers have no scientific proof the therapy does harm.

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New Jersey Judge: Ex-Gay Therapists May Be Liable For Damages To Former Clients

 

A preliminary ruling in a New Jersey court suggests that an organization that provides supposed ex-gay therapy may have to pay out damages to clients who were harmed by the conversion therapy.

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) brought the suit a year and a half ago, accusing Jews Offering New Alternatives for Healing (JONAH) of consumer fraud for providing ex-gay therapy. Plaintiffs outlined humiliating and degrading experiences from their treatment, including having to strip nude in front of their therapist and re-enact past trauma. Their suit demands compensation for the failed treatment, as well as for the therapy they later sought to correct the damage incurred by JONAH.

JONAH sought a summary judgment to dismiss the claims for the post-JONAH therapy, but New Jersey Superior Court Judge Peter F. Bariso Jr. denied the request Friday, explaining that he thinks there’s a case to be made that the organization is liable. Assuming the truth of the plaintiffs’ experiences, Bariso wrote, “JONAH’s conversion therapy damaged the individuals it was meant ‘to cure,’” and thus “any subsequent costs of repairing Plaintiff’s mental or emotional health are the direct and proximate result of JONAH’s actions and, hence, should be borne by JONAH.” The case will now proceed considering both claims for damages.

JONAH claims to provide “psychological and spiritual counseling, peer support, and self-empowerment” in order to “heal the wounds surrounding homosexuality.” But according to David Dinielli, SPLC deputy legal director, “These young men were left with guilt, shame, and frustration” by a treatment that psychologists have rejected as ineffective and that survivors have overwhelmingly described as harmful.

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Gay Wine Weekend Kicks Off Friday

The Sonoma Valley is celebrating Gay Pride Month with activities that welcome the LGBT community with special tributes and tours.

The crown jewel of the celebration is Gay Wine Weekend 2014 Friday through Sunday at various Wine Country venues. Now in its fourth year, the weekend is organized by Out in the Vineyard, a a LGBT travel company run by Healdsburg native Mark Vogler and long-time Sonoma resident Gary Saperstein.

“It’s a celebration of food and wine and the ambiance and lifestyle of Wine Country,” Saperstein said of the weekend. “That’s what we really want to show off.”

Gay Wine Weekend is studded with tastings and tours, winemaker dinners and parties, after-party parties and a recovery brunch/wine auction that benefits the Face to Face Sonoma County AIDS network.

“Over the course of the last four years, we’ve raised about $80,000 for Face to Face,” Saperstein said. “Their goal is to end HIV in Sonoma County.”

Now in its fifth year, the highlight of the weekend – the Twilight T Dance — is moving to Raymond Vineyards in Napa on Saturday night.

The dance floor will host a DJ from New York, and the Red Room will be transformed into a speakeasy starring Honey Mahogany from “Rupaul’s Drag Race.”

“She’s gorgeous and she has a beautiful voice,” Saperstein said. “She’ll be doing blues and standards.”

In 2008, Saperstein and Vogler launched Out in the Vineyard to welcome the LGBT community to Wine Country and to introduce the wine industry to a new niche.

“Beer and spirits figured us out 30 years ago, with Bud Light and Absolut Vodka,” Saperstein said. “The wine industry has never thought about us.”

For tickets to the weekend, go to outinthevineyard.com.

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Lawsuit Filed To Block Nation’s Last Unchallenged Same-Sex Marriage Ban In North Dakota

Seven couples have filed a federal lawsuit challenging the ban on same-sex marriage in North Dakota, the last remaining state without a court challenge.

The clerk of the court confirmed that the lawsuit was filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Fargo.

It challenges both North Dakota’s constitutional ban on gay marriage and its refusal to recognize marriages of same-sex couples who legally wed in other states.

The lawsuit means cases are currently pending in all 31 states with gay marriage bans. Judges have overturned several of those bans since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down part of the federal Defense of Marriage Act last year.

Minneapolis-based attorney Josh Newville, who is representing the North Dakota couples, also filed a lawsuit on behalf of South Dakota couples in May.

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