By a vote of 8-6, Pennsylvania’s Senate Judiciary tabled crazy Sen. John Eichelberger’s attempt to add a constitutional amendment to ban same sex marriage.Three Republicans joined the Democrats in voting the Senate Bill 707 down, down, down. Andy Hoover, legislative director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, says, “It’s hard to imagine this coming up again after what just happened. This is the third time this has gone down … in four years. It’s pretty clear the Legislature has other more important things to deal with right now.”Yeah, like it’s anti-gay senators! As of this writing ...
Rapid City, SD and Ellsworth AFB Staff Sgt. Jene Newsome followed the bizarre rules of the military’s ‘don’t ask, don’t tell, don’t pursue’ policy during her nine-year career with the Air Force. She didn’t tell anyone that mattered in the military that she is lesbian. The Air Force didn’t ask. But the service did pursue an investigation of Newsome after Rapid City, SD police officers sent a report to officials at Ellsworth Air Force Base, where Newsome was based. In the report, the officers revealed that they’d discovered in Newsome’s home an Iowa marriage license showing that she was ...
Despite what you may have heard the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy continues in full effect. There are reports of several soldiers recently being removed from military service. Jene Newsome was discharged from the Air Force in January after police officers notified military officials of an Iowa marriage certificate they discovered when they entered her home with a warrant for the arrest of her wife on theft charges. The American Civil Liberties Union have since filed suit against the western South Dakota police department, claiming the disclosure to military officials was a violation of Newsome's privacy. And Chaplain and ...
Constance McMillen a lesbian high school student in the Itawamba County School District of Fulton Mississippi is forbidden from wearing a tux and attending prom with her girlfriend. After the American Civil Liberties Union threatened to sue the school for discrimination on the students behalf, the school canceled the prom completely.Below is a cute video from Lizzy the Lezzy describing the situation:This story has gained national attention and prompted discussion on LGBT youth rights. Please contact the superintendent and school board members and demand they hold the prom for all students regardless of sexual orientation and gender ...
The one who is causing this shit storm,
The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit today against a Mississippi High School that has canceled prom rather than let a lesbian high school student attend the prom with her girlfriend and wear a tuxedo to the event. In papers filed with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi, the ACLU asks the court to reinstate the prom for all students at the school and charges Itawamba County School District officials are violating Constance McMillen's First Amendment right to freedom of expression.
"All I wanted was the same ...
Constance McMillen Clarion Ledger photo by Matthew Sharpe Itawamba Agricultural High School in Fulton, Mississippi cancelled the school prom Wednesday after officials learned that an 18-year-old senior, Constance McMillen, planned to attend the dance with her girlfriend and to wear a tuxedo to the annual event, which had been scheduled for April 2. In a message to students announcing the cancellation, the school board suggested that a private group should host an independent prom instead, Jacksonville Clarion Ledger reports. “We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this causes anyone,” the message concluded. McMillen told the Clarion Ledger ...
In light of continuing delays in the House of Representatives, we must state clearly and unequivocally: Passing basic job protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people must happen now. At a time when our government is deeply focused on the critical issue of employment, it is inexcusable to delay action on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). Each and every job lost to prejudice based on sexual orientation and gender identity needlessly compounds the unemployment challenges facing our nation. We call on Congress for the immediate passage of ENDA. For decades now, we have called upon Congress to pass ...
An quick update on the brutal murder of 19 year old Jorge Steven López Mercado in Puerto Rico:After the multiple vigils and rallies in the United States over the weekend demanding that the murder of the young gay man be investigated as a hate crime, and a meeting Tuesday with the Puerto Rican branch of the American Civil Liberties Union, authorities in the island have announced that, for the first time ever in Puerto Rico, a little known 2002 statute will be used to go ahead and investigate the murder as a hate crime.Myriam Mercado and Jorge López, ...
Mississippi school officials have told a 17 year old student who wanted to appear in her yearbook photo wearing a tuxedo that she cannot.
When her female classmates turned up to have their yearbook picture taken they wore ‘drapes’ (as is tradition in the States) but Ceara Sturgis wore a tuxedo.
Sturgis is out and proud and has the support of her mother who said :
“The tux is who she is. She wears boys’ clothes. She’s athletic. She’s gay. She’s not feminine.”
Her mother received a letter following the photoshoot for the yearbook pics saying that only boys could wear tuxedo’s! ...
Morehouse isn’t alone in attempting to enforce gender-specific clothing for its students.
You all have heard that Ceara Sturgis’ photo was banned from Wesson Attendance Center’s yearbook because she was wearing a tuxedo in the photo. Surely that decision could be appealed to, say, the Copiah County School District superintendent, right? Well, yes, but the superintendent stood behind the school’s decision has decided to support bigotry:
In a statement released Friday to the Copiah County Courier, school Superintendent Ricky Clopton said the district has no intention of reversing its decision.
“We have had our legal counsel research the validity of the ...
Earlier this year, a Wisconsin Christian group sued the American Library Association for the right to burn a library book entitled Baby Be-Bop. The book is a charming young adult novel about a gay boy struggling to come to terms with his sexual orientation after being attacked by a homophobic gang. Totally unacceptable, according to the religious extremist group who—backed by legal aid from the Christian Civil Liberties Union—demanded not only the rights to burn the book publicly, but also sought $120,000 in compensatory damages because the elderly plaintiffs’ “mental and emotional well-being was damaged by this book at the ...