Blog Posts for Anti-LGBT Discrimination
Know Your Rights: Transgender Rights in New England
We’ve come a good way towards establishing legal protections for transgender people in New England in the past several years. In 2011, both Connecticut and Massachusetts added gender identity to their anti-discrimination laws, joining Rhode Island (2001), Maine (2005) and Vermont (2007) in providing protections in employment, housing and credit, and, in all but Massachusetts, public accommodations (like restaurants, bars, parks, stores, hospitals, shelters, etc.). But there is still work to do.
Know Your Rights: Protections Against Employment Discrimination
One of the great things about living in New England is that all six states offer anti-discrimination protections for LGBT employees and workers who are living with HIV. Most workers are “employees at will” and can be fired or discriminated against by their employer for any reason or no reason at all. However, states have identified “protected characteristics” and made it illegal to fire or discriminate against an employee just because they possess, or are perceived to possess, one or more of those characteristics. For lesbian, gay or bisexual (LGB) workers, the protected characteristic is “sexual orientation,” for workers living with HIV, “disability,” and for transgender workers, “gender identity.”
Just the Facts, Maggie
When the U.S. House Subcommittee on the Constitution held an April 15 hearing called “Defending Marriage,” we knew it would not be a friendly forum. Although the focus of the hearing was on the Justice Department’s decision not to defend DOMA, Chairman Trent Franks called Maggie Gallagher of the National Organization for Marriage as the principal witness rather than anyone from the Department of Justice. Ms. Gallagher’s written testimony begged for a written response, and GLAD submitted its rebuttal last week, which will now be entered into the Congressional Record.
My Afternoon on the Hot Seat, and Other Adventures in Transgender Advocacy
On Monday, I testified before the Connecticut Legislature’s Judiciary Committee in favor H.B. 6599, “An Act Concerning Discrimination,” which would add the phrase gender identity and expression in Connecticut’s non-discrimination laws. My prepared testimony was just about two minutes, but I spent the next hour on the hot seat, fielding questions from committee members about the bill and how, when adopted as law, it would be enforced. That is as it should be. It’s important to let those who are just learning about transgender people’s lives ask of all their questions and have them answered in a reasoned, thoughtful way.
Reality Check: The Big Lie About Catholic Charities, Adoption and Marriage Equality
Last month’s marriage equality hearing in Rhode Island left me feeling a little like Congressman Joe “You Lie!” Wilson. Wilson, you’ll recall, shouted his infamous exclamation at President Obama after the president stated in a speech to Congress that his health care legislation would not provide free health coverage for illegal immigrants, despite what vocal opponents of the healthcare bill were saying. As I watched Austin Nimocks of the anti-gay Alliance Defense Fund testify without blinking that marriage equality in Massachusetts “forced” Catholic Charities of Boston out of the adoption business, it was all I could do not to let loose a “You Lie!” right there in the marbled halls of the Rhode Island State House.
Know Your Rights: An Introduction to GLAD’s Legal InfoLine
Legal InfoLine Manager Bruce Bell begins a regular weekly blog post today.
MA CORI Reform: Now What?
The CORI Reform bill passed in Massachusetts, now what? Aaron Tanaka, Executive Director of the Boston Workers Alliance (BWA) and co-chair of the Commonwealth CORI Coalition (of which GLAD was a member) stopped by the GLAD office this week to answer that very question.
Our Work Is Not Done Until Everyone in the LGBT Community Is Protected
Nights like last Saturday night at Latino Pride, held by Somos Latin@s LGBT Coalition of Mass., remind me how much I love my job. What other job would allow me to accept an award in honor of GLAD’s work with the Latino community, in the company of other amazing award recipients like Miss Mass Gay Latina 2010 herself - Ms. Tatiana Jackson - who also thrilled us with multiple performances!
CORI Reform Passes the House
The Massachusetts CORI Reform Bill passed in the House Wednesday with a vote of 138 to 7! This is the last major step before the House and Senate bills are merged and sent to the Governor for his approval. GLAD is proud to share this victory with the Boston Workers Alliance and the countless other allies and supporters of the Commonwealth CORI Coalition. This reform legislation would limit employers’ access to the criminal records of job applicants and reduce the number of years until felony and misdemeanor charges can be sealed.
An Argument for Equality: Recapping DOMA Hearing Day
It was sunny and warm as we headed to the Joseph Moakley Federal Courthouse on Boston’s waterfront. Eight married couples, three widowers, and as many attorneys marched into the courtroom of Federal District Judge Joseph L. Tauro. The plaintiffs – all harmed by DOMA in various ways – sat in the jury box, and in an overflow courtroom next door, spectators could see them on two large flat-screen TVs.