Gay Politics Report

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March 22, 2013

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Top Story

Which states have the strongest LGBT protections?
States laws differs widely in their treatment of LGBT Americans regarding employment, housing and other aspects of life, John Sutter writes. The disparity means LGBT Americans need to consider many factors when deciding where to live. "For what other group ... are state borders so important?" he asks. CNN has created a tool that helps match people with states depending on which LGBT protections they believe are most important. CNN (3/21)

Politics and Policy

Many have changed their minds to support marriage equality, poll finds
Nearly a third of people who support marriage rights for same-sex couples say they've switched their opinion, and usually because they know someone who is gay, according to a poll by the Pew Research Center. USA Today (3/21)

Senators aren't swayed on marriage, despite shifting public opinion: Senators who oppose allowing same-sex couples to marry have told Politico their views haven't changed, despite the rapid shift in opinion polls on the issue. "I don't mind if people are able to transfer their property, visit their loved ones in hospitals, but marriage to me, I've stayed with the concept of traditional marriage," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. When asked his opinion, Sen Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., said, "I'm not gay, so I'm not going to marry one." Politico (Washington, D.C.) (3/21)

Transgender-rights bill passes Canadian House
A bill addressing violence and discrimination against transgender individuals passed the Canadian House this week by a vote of 149-137. Its fate in the Senate is unclear. Prime Minister Stephen Harper opposes the measure. ABC News/The Associated Press (3/21), Ottawa Citizen (Ontario) (3/21)

Ariz. bill would tie restroom use to birth certificates
Pending legislation in Arizona would restrict the use of gender-designated restrooms to persons with a corresponding gender on their birth certificates, an idea critics say could turn transgender people into criminals. State Sen. Nancy Barto, a Republican, said the law would require those held by police to produce birth certificates to back up claims they're using the correct restroom. "Otherwise," said state Rep. John Kavanagh, also a Republican, "you're going to go to jail, which is where you belong." Arizona Daily Star (Tucson) (3/20), Portland Press Herald (Maine)/The Associated Press (3/21)

Pediatricians group declares support for marriage equality
The American Academy of Pediatrics, citing a four-year review of scientific literature, issued a policy statement this week declaring that legal marriage for same-sex parents is in the best interests of their children. "[C]hildren growing up in households headed by gay men or lesbians are not disadvantaged in any significant respect relative to children of heterosexual parents," the academy said. The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (3/21)

Warsaw's rainbow sculpture attracts vandals, admirers
A 30-foot-tall sculpture of a rainbow that stands over Warsaw's Savior Square has been burned four times, perhaps by vandals who interpret the work of art as support for gay rights. LGBT volunteers have helped rebuild the colorful arch and anti-gay politicians have denounced it as "disgusting," but the artist, Julita Wojcik, says her piece is actually about "tolerance, diversity and openness." The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (3/21)

Staff retracts Ohio governor's support of civil unions
Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a Republican, this week said he supports civil unions for same-sex couples, a policy shift that his staff walked away from a day later, saying, "He opposes gay marriage and opposes changing Ohio's constitution to allow for civil unions." In an interview about Republican Ohio Sen. Rob Portman's change of heart on the issue, Kasich had told a reporter, "If people want to have civil unions and have some way to transfer their resources, I'm for that. I don't support gay marriage." The Plain Dealer (Cleveland) (3/21)

LGBT Mississippians live under "cloud of fear"
LGBT people in Mississippi say they fear not only for their happiness but also for the potential that they will be harmed or fired from their jobs. A black LGBT Pride event recently was held indoors because participants worried they would be stoned if the event were held outside, one organizer said. When Mississippi passed a ban on marriage for same-sex couples, 86% of people voted in favor of it. CNN (3/22)

Other News

Students petition U.S. to drop ban on gay blood donors
CBS News (3/21)

110 legislators ask Obama for executive order on LGBT nondiscrimination
Washington Blade (Washington, D.C.) (3/20)

Opinion

When do you think the Republican Party will nominate a presidential candidate who supports legal marriage for same-sex couples?

2020 30.69%

Never 19.97%

2016 15.38%

2024 15.14%

2028 11.95%

I'm not sure 6.87%

Marriage equality at the Supreme Court
Linda Greenhouse writes about the last time the Supreme Court was presented with a case involving the constitutionality of marriage bans. In 1972, the court unanimously dismissed a case "for want of a substantial federal question." Next week's oral arguments in two landmark marriage cases will follow several years of national discussion about the issue and a sea change in public opinion, conditions that are likely to produce much richer opinions from the Court, Greenhouse writes. The appeal in the Proposition 8 case might stop at the issue of whether marriage equality opponents have standing to bring the case, an outcome that would reinstate marriage rights in California. The New York Times (tiered subscription model)/Opinionator blog (3/20)

Could the GOP benefit from court's OK of marriage rights?
Republicans would benefit if the Supreme Court rules favorably for marriage equality proponents in two pending cases, according to this analysis. "It could be a savior of the Republican Party because it takes an issue off the table, and they don't have to pay a price for it," a political operative said. Politico (Washington, D.C.) (3/21)

Beyond Politics

Meningitis strain is killing gay men in NYC, officials say
A new strain of meningitis that can kill quickly has been "marching through" the gay community in New York, health officials warned this week. Victims include men who have had sex with men they've met online, through smartphone applications or at bars and parties, making it harder to track the disease. "All they know is a screen name and a physical description. It's another big challenge for us to identify how this disease is spreading," said Dr. Jay Varma, deputy commissioner for disease control at the city's health department. Seven of the 22 cases so far have resulted in deaths. The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (3/21)

Folk singer says anti-gay comments were misinterpreted
Music venues across the U.S. this week canceled upcoming shows by folk singer Michelle Shocked, who recently made comments during a show in San Francisco that seemed critical of marriage equality and homosexuality. The singer later said she was misunderstood. BuzzFeed (3/20)

Position Title	Company Name	Location
Operations Assistant, DC Office	United Nations Foundation	Washington, DC
Membership Manager	National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Foundation	New York, NY
Chief Development Officer (CDO)	Resource Center Dallas	Dallas, TX
Director of Planned Giving	Lambda Legal	New York City, NY
Finance Director	Equaltiy California	West Hollywood, CA
Communications Director	Equaltiy California	West Hollywood, CA
Executive Director	Southwest Center for HIV/AIDS	Phoenix, AZ
Director of Grantmaking & Community Initiatives	Confidential	San Francisco, CA
Chief Financial Officer	L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center	Los Angeles, CA

Click here to view more job listings.

SmartQuote

I feel like God saved me, and he didn't save me to be quiet."

--Cedric Sturdevant, an LGBT rights activist in Jackson, Miss., who houses homeless LGBT youth, speaking about surviving the AIDS epidemic that took many of his friends, as quoted by CNN.



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