1) Dallas Voice; Point Foundation honors Tyler Clementi with scholarship named after him
2) Pride Source; A Campus in transition
3)The Daily Targum; Alumna tackles bullying with one-woman act
4) The Daily Targum; NJ voters respond to new gender neutral housing
5) The Daily Targum; News Crew films in gender-neutral bathroom
6) Go Local Prov; Providence College Students to Hold Gay Marriage Rally
7) Fourth Estate University of Wisconsin; Students find identity at Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Conference
8) The Daily Princetonian; University Couple continues legal fight
9) The Daily Princetonian; U. panel addresses same-sex marriage rights
10) The Daily Princetonian; We Need more LGBT activism
11) The Daily Princetonian; Sexual Freedom
12) The Murray State News; Committee votes to recommend extended family benefits
13) LGBTQNation; GWU attaker charged with ‘hate crime’ on straight man he thought was gay
1) Point Foundation honors Tyler Clementi with scholarship named after him
By Tammye Nash 09 Mar 2011
The Point Foundation, an organization that provides scholarships for LGBT students, this week announced the creation of a new scholarship named after Tyler Clementi, the 18-year-old gay Rutgers University student who committed suicide last fall after his roommate and another student secretly videotaped him having sex with another man and posted the video online.Clementi’s death, on Sept. 22, was one of a string of gay teen suicides that sparked a national conversation over anti-LGBT bullying and prompted a number of highly-visible campaigns against bullying.
According to a press release from The Point Foundation, the foundation created the scholarship “with the cooperation of Clementi’s parents, Joe and Jane, to honor his memory and to further the efforts to end the bullying that many LGBT youth face within education environments.” A statement attributed to Joe and Jane Clementi said: “Our son Tyler was a kind and gentle young man who enjoyed helping people. This scholarship will help college students and it will raise awareness of young people who are subject to abuse through malicious bullying — and so it will help people in Tyler’s memory.”
The Point Foundation has already set aside funds for the Tyler Clementi Scholarship, and will accept donations in his name from the public and current Point Foundation supporters. Donations can be made online at PointFoundation.org or by phone at 866-33-POINT.
1) A Campus In transition
By Benjamin Jenkins 3/10/11
http://www.pridesource.com/
LGBT students at Central Michigan University walk a fine line between acceptance and rejection. While they know they can take solace in supportive student organizations, they're also wary of a vocal opposition that sometimes lashes out against progressive groups.
Last year, CMU's lesbian and gay student organization Spectrum put together a unique event for its Coming Out Week in October. "Many statistics estimated that ten percent of the American population identified as LGBT," said Sarah Winchester, political chair of Spectrum. "So we determined how many students would be LGBT on campus, and put a flag out in front of the CMU library for every one of those students."
The flags caused some students to speak out against them, some even expressing their opinions with chalk on campus sidewalks. The First Amendment protects these responses, but the chalk was washed away after one day. Winchester said no one in Spectrum was involved, but another student organization cleaned the pathways and wished to remain anonymous.
While Spectrum focuses on addressing issues for gay and lesbian students, another newly-formed group, Transcend, advocates for transgendered students and provides a support group for those who are transitioning. Kylee Meade, a two-year member of Transcend, explains that the two organizations serve different purposes.
"Transcend is trying to solidify the distinction between gender identity and sexual orientation," Meade said. "I think that people view the two as one in the same. But they're very different ways of identifying oneself."
Meade, currently in the early stages of transition, said the organization offers plenty of benefits for its members.
"When we first started the group, none of us were in hormone therapy, none of us had been fully dressing as the identity we wanted to present ourselves," Meade said. "Four of us have started the physical process now, which is a huge breakthrough. For me, it wasn't until I got the support from Transcend that I started the process. The whole coming out process is a huge obstacle that most of us overcame because of Transcend."
Meade also said support from Shannon Joliff, the director of the Office of Gay and Lesbian Programs, helped her start the transition process.
Joliff's office is one of six units of CMU's Office of Institutional Diversity. The OID's goal is to create a more accepting and inclusive campus.
CMU seems to take Joliff's position more seriously now than it did previously. Before Joliff was hired in 2008, the position was only part-time. Joliff's title is now a salaried, full-time position that offers her and her partner benefits (CMU has a "plus one" option for their staff). She has two student assistants and two interns on staff.
Joliff has planned events for Pride Week, Coming Out Day and Transgender Day of Remembrance. She also brings panels into classrooms and residential halls to provide information about LGBT students and to tackle discrimination.
Joliff's office also supports Spectrum and Transcend, and the three organizations sometimes band together around a cause. In 2010, a few housing staff members proposed a gender-neutral housing option. Now, Transcend, Spectrum, and the Office of Gay and Lesbian Programs are working together to create an LGBT or gender-neutral floor in the residence halls.
The initial proposal was denied. "A policy change in the middle of Michigan, in the middle of nowhere - it wasn't taken very well," Winchester said. Students from both organizations created petitions, wrote letters, and utilized social media to argue a case for LGBT-friendly housing and applications. They collected 700 student and staff signatures, in hopes of convincing the administration.
For now, the university's housing administration and residence life are willing to work with transgender students on a case-by-case basis, as is the policy of most colleges.
CMU also has a non-discrimination policy that protects LGBT students. The university added the phrase "sexual orientation" to its policy in 1999 and "gender identity and expression" in 2009, according to the university's independent student-run newspaper, Central Michigan Life.
Overall, Winchester argues that Central is doing well and the student body is supportive, despite the conservative influence of Mt. Pleasant and the state of Michigan (which supplies very little protection to LGBT Michigander).
"Campus has changed in my four years here. I didn't feel comfortable four years ago," Winchester said. "I've seen many freshmen come out to their roommates this year. I've seen those roommates then turn around and say 'Yeah, my roommate is gay, I don't really care.' I think that is so exciting to see. I am really happy for incoming students that will be coming to a campus much better off than the one I came to four years ago."
3) Alumna tackles bullying with one-woman act
By Chase Brush Thursday, March 10, 2011http://www.dailytargum.com/
Award-winning spoken word artist and University alumna Pandora Scooter's new piece "Outwordly Fabulous" will address the issues of bullying and homophobia using spoken word and slam poetry at Crossroads Theater in New Brunswick.
Scooter said her one-woman show tonight and Friday night will use monologue, storytelling and spoken word to explore different aspects of bullying and raise awareness about its negative repercussions on youth and society.
"One of the focuses of my work as an artist has always been to raise people's levels of compassion," Scooter said.
Cedric Hill, producer and director of "Outwordly Fabulous," said the 90-minute show avoids stigmatizing any specific group.
"We're not separated by who we sleep with or what we look like or where we're from," he said.
As an actress, director and writer with more than 20 years of professional theater experience, Scooter said she worked with teens across the nation on self-acceptance, inclusion and self-love.
"My dedication has been to live theater because I believe in the power of human contact," Scooter said.
Drawing on her experiences as a young child growing up in Washington, D.C., and experiences of those she worked with, the play will address how bullying starts, its results and stories of triumph and personal accomplishment.
As a child, Scooter said she was called ugly and stupid in school, witnessing first-hand the detrimental effects bullying can have on young people.
"As I got older, I learned that if you looked a certain way you could get away with not being bullied," she said. "That didn't seem fair."
Scooter's 11-year-old daughter is reaching the age where bullying and teasing are common behaviors in schools.
When her daughter became aware of the effects of bullying, Scooter, a lesbian single mom, said she was compelled to reach out to young individuals and help them understand how much power they have to make their world a better place.
Elizabeth Salerno, a licensed social worker, said everyone is bullied at some point and in some format.
"For whatever reason, bullying tries to exert power over someone else and the result is incredibly painful for the recipient," she said.
Salerno and Scooter met when they joined the Rutgers School of Social Work during the weeks surrounding the death of Tyler Clementi.
"We were all so outraged that so many young people like Tyler who had so many prospects ahead of them were taking their own lives," said Salerno, who served for six and a half years as a counselor at the Hetrick-Martin Institute in New York City providing individual and group counseling for young people.
Their frustration stemmed from a lack of resources and means to reach out to individuals like Clementi, Salerno said.
"There has to be a place where a young person can go to feel safe and accepted regardless of who they are," Salerno said.
During the summer of 2010, Scooter began writing the piece. Because of these events, she said her work and show has transformed from a personal and private cause into a very public campaign.
Scooter previously toured different parts of the country promoting past productions but received inquiries to perform her new show in regions throughout the Midwest and South after its premiere in New Brunswick, she said.
"We're excited to take the core message of compassion and inclusivity to the greater population of our country," she said.
Scooter and Hill said they believe live theater is the ideal way to send this message.
"[People have always] recorded and communicated their history and lives by telling stories," Hill said. "Theater is one of the best ways to get information out, to convey feeling and emotion."
Rhyme, rhythm and heightened language are used regularly as Scooter promotes activism through the stories of 12 different individuals, Hill said.
"Without stories and without history we're destined to repeat ourselves," Hill said.
Scooter said the first step in eliminating bullying and homophobia is to address the issues with compassion and awareness.
"I strongly believe that compassion and inclusivity will eradicate hate and fear in our society, and make our society a more peaceful place to live for everyone," she said.
4) NJ voters respond to new gender-neutral housing
By Amy Rowe March 10, 2011http://www.dailytargum.com/
Many adults in the United States disapprove of the gender-neutral housing option for students living on college campuses, according to a survey conducted by Rasmussen Reports based in Asbury Park, N.J.
The option, which the University announced would be available next semester in three different residence halls, allows male and female students to room together and share co-ed bathrooms.
Of the 1,000 adults polled across the nation, 71 percent think men and women should not have the option, while 24 percent agree with the arrangement, according to the survey.
Adults also agree parental approval should be required if students under the age of 21 want to live with a member of the opposite sex, with 67 percent in favor of asking for permission.
The survey results differed among adults less than 30 years old, of which 45 percent said they believe men and women should share a room.
Opposition to the gender-neutral housing option was more prevalent among females than males, including those under 30 and the elder adults polled, said Debra Falk, director of communications at Rasmussen Reports, via e-mail correspondence.
University students' opinions seem to reflect the survey's results among adults under 30 years old.
Dhanya James, a School of Arts and Sciences junior, was not surprised that adults disagree with the gender-neutral housing option.
"I don't agree with it either," she said. "I think it's kind of a crutch for people. A gay student might decide to room with a girl friend of his, but it takes away from the experience of meeting new people."
James also thought first-year students who are in a relationship coming to the University might elect to live with each other, but this could run into problems.
"I feel like people who are in relationships from high school will also take advantage of it," she said. "God forbid it doesn't work out, then what happens? Everyone comes to college to meet new people but this option prevents that."
Jack Laniado, a School of Arts and Sciences junior, agreed that couples that choose to live together might end up fighting.
"It's going to cause problems," he said. "Couples who think it's cool to room together will do so and they'll start fighting and realize they messed up. I think gay students should have special interest housing where they room with other gay students."
School of Arts and Sciences junior Jennifer Carroll thought that choosing to live with a member of the opposite sex comes down to personal preference.
"For me personally, I'm conservative— I prefer my privacy," she said. "I really didn't like it when my roommate would have her boyfriend over all the time. But if people want to do it, I don't see a problem with it."
The gender-neutral housing option has already been in place at other colleges, but the survey results suggest most adults were previously ignorant about the option. Of those polled, only 26 percent say they followed the news stories at least somewhat closely about the option at the University.
School of Arts and Sciences junior Chris Mischaikow, who transferred to the University from the California Institute of Technology, said the gender-neutral housing option worked at his old school.
"Men and women shared rooms there and it pretty much worked out," he said. "One thing I noticed was that administrators took normal roommate drama and blamed it on the fact that it was a boy-girl situation."
Justina Sigle, a School of Arts and Sciences junior, thinks the chance to live with a member of the opposite sex could be beneficial for the future.
"It's a good idea because it gives you more of an opportunity to learn to live with the opposite sex," she said. "It's only a one-year contract — you aren't stuck together for four years if something doesn't work out."
Sami Jitan, a School of Arts and Sciences senior, thinks the gender-neutral housing option is a positive step for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning community on campus.
"It's a great win for the community or anyone discriminated against because of gender," he said. "Gender is a social construct that needs to be re-evaluated in our time."
5) News crew films in gender-neutral bathroom
By Kristine Rosette Enerio Thursday, March 3, 2011http://www.dailytargum.com/
Demarest Hall residents must have swipe access to enter the second-floor bathroom, which is one of two gender-neutral bathrooms in the building on the College Avenue campus. Students expressed concern over CBS 2 News filming footage Tuesday without permission.
CBS 2 News violated University policy Tuesday when they filmed inside the second floor gender-neutral bathroom in Demarest Hall on the College Avenue campus.
Magee Hickey, a reporter for CBS 2 News, along with a camerawoman were working on a segment about the University's new gender-neutral housing option and gained access when a hall resident swiped them into the facility, which is restricted to residents only through an ID card swipe.
"A resident brought us in. We wouldn't have had any other way to go in," Hickey said. "We were invited in by the student."
But according to the University's policy 80.1.6 Section IX, "Media representatives must obtain permission from OMR [Office of Media Relations] or the appropriate campus communications offices to enter all areas of residential buildings."
Joan Carbone, executive director of Residence Life, said the CBS team did not acquire the proper credentials to be in the facility and even if they did, she would have never permitted them to film inside a bathroom.
"To have them in the bathroom where someone was actually showering was just outrageous," Carbone said.
The news segment, which is available on the organization's website, features a three-second clip inside the bathroom where School of Arts and Sciences junior Daniel Spektor's foot is shown inside a stall as he takes a shower. He said another student was also showering at the time.
"We asked the students who were showering. We said we wanted to show them and they were fine with it," Hickey said. "We asked ahead of time."
Hickey said it was not necessary for the students to sign release forms since their images were not shown.
But Spektor said no one asked his permission to record while he was in the shower and he did not know someone was filming.
"I think it was only 15 minutes later when I started getting out of the shower stall with only a towel on that I saw the camerawoman and anchor woman," he said.
As Spektor was leaving the bathroom, he saw they were recording and asked them not to broadcast his image, which they did not include in the segment.
Although Spektor does not find the broadcasted clip of his foot invasive, he believes it was inappropriate for Hickey and the camerawoman to film inside the bathroom.
"I don't think it was the proper environment to do so when people were in there," he said. "If it was empty and they wanted to show how the shower stall worked on the inside then that would have been more understandable."
But he did give them permission to film a round video shot of his room's interior.
The filming left members of the Demarest Hall community upset and outraged.
Demarest Hall Treasurer Patrick Kulikowski believes shooting footage in the bathroom was both insulting and an invasion of privacy.
"The fact that they recorded the inside of our bathrooms, that just felt entirely unnecessary and pointless," said Kulikowski, a School of Arts and Sciences senior. "There's no reason to film inside a bathroom. I just think it's absurd."
Veronica Koons, Demarest Hall co-president of programming, said the reporters do not have a right to be in the bathroom especially since there were students showering.
"It's one thing to ask for student opinions, but to come into our home and go into our private area where we clean and do our business, that's way too much," said Koons, a School of Arts and Sciences junior.
If the bathroom was limited to women or men only, Koons said she would have found it just as offensive.
"Whether its single-sex or gender-neutral, privacy is privacy no matter what," she said. "You're just coming in without so much as a warning and you're making it public."
Jordan Gochman, Demarest Hall outreach coordinator, said many current and former residents have expressed their anger to him over the incident.
While he sees this new housing option as a great advancement for the University and believes it should be reported, he also thinks there should be some discretion.
"Last year's outreach coordinator … worked extremely hard to get the gender-neutral bathrooms on the second floor," said Gochman, a School of Arts and Sciences sophomore. "This just completely undermines everything we've done in order to keep the dorm safe and appropriate for everyone that lives here."
Gochman said the executive board and other housing administrators would meet soon to discuss the issue.
"Once we all push our heads together, we're obviously going to make some big changes about privacy rights and everything else," he said.
6) Providence College Students to Hold Gay Marriage Rally
Erica James, Thursday, March 10, 2011 http://www.golocalprov.com/
Students from Providence College will hold an on-campus rally today at 4:30 p.m., in support of gay marriage.
The Rhode Island Students for Equality (RISE) has organized a series of campus rallies across the state to demonstrate college students’ active support for two gay marriage bills in the state’s House and Senate. Today’s rally will be the second in a series of six occurring throughout Rhode Island.
“This year marks the closest Rhode Island has ever come to passing marriage equality for same-sex couples. As a Catholic college, there is a certain and obvious conflict we all face. Let it be known that there is a growing movement within the Catholic community in support of marriage equality,” student organizers said in a statement.
Students will use rally as an opportunity to show the entire General Assembly that marriage matters to college students. Organizers are also appealing directly to state Representative John DeSimone and state Senator Dominick Ruggeri, who both represent the college’s district, in hopes that they will support the legislation.
More information about each rally will be posted on RISE’s Facebook page.
7) Students find identity at Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Conference
By Hannah Briesemeister Thursday, March 10, 2011During the last weekend of February, students from all over gathered at the University of Michigan- Ann Arbor for the 2011 Midwest Bisexual Lesbian Gay Transgender Ally College Conference.
According to their website, MBLGTACC is "an annual regional conference for LGBTQ and Ally-identified students."
"MBLGTACC is a conference to learn and expand everyone's identity for those people who fit into the alphabet soup of the LGBT community," Collin Cowart, sophomore human development and psychology major, said. "It helps answer questions like ‘Who am I?', ‘What can I do to advocate for others?' and ‘How do I become a more educated source for others who need help identifying themselves in the alphabet soup?'"
Jeffery Mayefske, senior political science and public administration major, said this year's conference had more than 1,700 attendees from 25 different colleges across the U.S. Some even traveled from Florida and California. Anyone can attend the conference and is not a membership-based program.
The conference originated in 1993 at the Iowa State University and will be held there next year for the 19th anniversary, Mayefske said.
Students who attended were kept busy with events, activities and guest speakers.
According to Mayefske, Stacey Ann Chin was a notable speaker at the conference. He said she spoke about how she fels the LGBTQA community has become disjointed today and could use a kick to become better unified.
Mayefske described Chin, an African-American lesbian immigrant, as a very inspirational speaker who wasn't afraid to use expletives in her speeches.
Other activities, according to Mayefske, included discussions about LGBT communities in different states, workshops, dances and drag shows.
"As much as the conference is filled with academia, it is filled with just as much fun and laughter," Mayefske said.
Aside from the workshops and guest speakers, Cowart believes it's about uniting.
"This conference is a great tool for everyone to get together and completely understand each other," Cowart said. "People don't have to worry about being judged or confronted about themselves and the way that they identify. This conference provides resources for everyone to better understand each other and understand what to do in order to create equality in everyday life."
Mayefske agreed, but believes it is more about individuals than community.
According to him, the lessons from the conference came on an individual basis.
He said the conference is a collection of classes or workshops that members attended. They took what they learned from those workshops and applied it to what they already knew.
Mayefske also said one of the goals of the conference was to focus on the transgendered community and provide many areas of education information on the community.
Cowart agreed and took away lessons for both himself and his community.
He said he learned lessons on how to think and address other people in his own LGBTQA community.
"No matter what the color of the skin or the letter they carry from the LGBTQA community, we are all united and equal and need to make changes to make sure that we can gain acceptance among everything and everyone we treasure," Cowart said.
For Jack Mellberg, sophomore human development and psychology major, who is also the vice president of the Ally division for the Sexuality and Gender Alliance, the key lesson he took away from this year's conference was never to assume sexual orientation or gender based on how someone dresses or speaks.
"I also learned that every person counts and no one should be left behind or left out because of their sexual orientation, sexual identity or gender expression," Mellberg said. "People need to be more open about matters of sexuality and gender in our society because these issues are always coming up, but no one ever seems to want to talk about it. These issues are important to many individuals and I would encourage others to discuss topics relating to sexuality."
For the UW-Green Bay community, resources are available for LGBTQ students.
Some of these resources include the American Intercultural Center and the student organization Sexuality and Gender Alliance.
"SAGA provides social support, educational programming and political background pertaining to the LGBTQA community," Mayefske, vice president of educational and political events for SAGA, said. "You could say [SAGA] is a mini version of MBLGTACC on a weekly basis. The group meets every Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in MAC 236."
Anyone can join SAGA, they just need to attend a meeting.
"SAGA is for everyone who supports or wants to learn more about the LGBTQA community," Cowart, vice president and coordinator of social programs for SAGA, said. "Straight or not, it doesn't matter. Acceptance is universal."
While UWGB does offer these resources, there may be room for improvement.
According to Mayefske, UWGB is the only four-year UW-System school that does not have an office or resource center for LGBTQ students.
Mayefske said overall the campus is safe for LGBTQ students.
According to Mayefske, the importance of resources like the AIC and conferences like MBLGTACC may be overlooked, but it may be one of the only ways to educate people.
Mayefske believes without conferences like MBLGTACC, it is hard to educate people who have no idea what the LGBTQA community is.
He said it is a place for LGBTQA students to feel open and free of judgment. It is a conference to share ideas about how to educate students on the issues of how LGBTQA students are affected on college campuses, in the U.S. and globally.
8) University couple continues legal fight
By Alaka Halder Tuesday, March 1st, 2011
Despite the Obama administration’s recommendation that the Justice Department should no longer defend the Defense of Marriage Act, which was described as unconstitutional by the White House last week, the fight of Joshua Vandiver GS to stop the deportation of his husband Henry Velandia appears far from over.Vandiver, a sixth-year Ph.D. student in the politics department, and Velandia, a professional modern dancer from Venezuela, met at the University in 2006 and married in Connecticut last August.
In light of the recent statements from President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder, Vandiver is petitioning the Board of Immigration Appeals against the U.S. Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services’ rejection of his proposed sponsorship for Velandia’s green card application.
Under DOMA, the federal government — which directs immigration policy — is prohibited from recognizing same-sex marriages. This law prevents same-sex partners from sponsoring each other for green card applications.
“Ours will probably be the first appeal that they will have heard on this new ground,” Vandiver said. “It’s very exciting to be at that position, to be the first ones to test the waters ... Our marriage license looks like everyone else’s, so I don’t understand why my federal government is denying me the right I always expected.”
Vandiver and Velandia are represented by attorney Lavi Soloway, who has been representing binational couples for 18 years.
Soloway said that marriage falls under the constitutional authority of individual states and not the federal government, though only nine states recognize same-sex marriages. U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein and Patrick Leahy will soon introduce legislation to repeal DOMA, he added.
“In the course of the civil rights movement, it’s not uncommon for the government to take one position and then, reviewing its position, reverse itself,” Soloway explained. “The Obama administration's change of position on DOMA will begin the process of inevitably repealing the statute. Everybody’s on the same side here; the executive, the legislative branch and the courts are all moving in a direction that is consistent.”
In October, the couple launched a petition to Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano requesting that the deportation of the spouses of gay American citizens be stopped until the situation is resolved. Vandiver said he fears for Velandia’s deportation while immigration reform efforts and DOMA challenges are pending.
The petition currently has over 2,600 signatures. The couple’s Facebook group, “Save Our Marriage — Stop the Deportation of Henry Velandia,” currently has over 10,000 members.
The couple is continuing their efforts outside of the political sphere as well. On Sunday, Velandia performed a dance piece that was based on the couple’s story as part of a performance titled “Love in the Time of Green Cards” at the W Hotel in New York City. The show drew a crowd of over 100.
“It was really important to me, as a dancer, to express what we’re going through by dancing,” he said.
Vandiver will also be speaking about the couple’s fight in a talk titled “Love in the Time of Green Cards: Immigration, Same-Sex Marriage & Citizen Activism against the Defense of Marriage Act” at the Fields Center on Friday. He will also speak at the Freshman Q-Talk this April at Harvard, where he received his undergraduate degree.
“Princeton’s students and faculty have been enormously supportive,” he said. “It’s been amazing.”
Vandiver also said he was interested in working with the Princeton Equality Project, a student group that was approved at Sunday’s USG meeting, on its proposed Marriage Equality Project.
The Marriage Equality Project hopes to bring together speakers and students to promote greater understanding of marriage equality on campus, project manager Elektra Alivisatos ’14 said. “I don’t think anyone understands the ramifications of such laws,” she added.
“What we’re wanting to do this spring is to gather a lot more student signatures,” Vandiver noted.
In spite of all the controversy, life on campus goes on for the couple. Vandiver is expected to complete his Ph.D. dissertation this year while Velandia continues to perform across the country with his dance team and teaches dance classes at Whitman College and at his dance school, HotSalsaHot.
“We’re not really activists, but we’re doing this because we’re fighting for our love, for our lives and for our equality,” Velandia said.
According to Soloway, there are over 36,000 binational same-sex couples in the United States. These figures do not account for couples that live in “exile” abroad or that have been forcibly separated, he said.
“We’re a young couple and we have many dreams and hopes, but I think the main one is to be together,” Velandia explained.
9) U. panel addresses same-sex marriage rights
By Catherine Duazo Friday, February 18th, 2011
Panelists Sean Eldridge, Rev. Joseph Palacios and Suzanne Goldberg analyzed the campaign for legalization of same-sex marriage. Eldridge is the political director of the same-sex marriage interest group Freedom to Marry and Palacios is the foundation director of Catholics for Equality, a group that focuses on obtaining Catholic support for same-sex marriage.
Goldberg, a clinical professor of law at Columbia, directs Columbia University’s Center for Gender & Sexuality Law.
Eldridge focused on Freedom to Marry’s plan to make same-sex marriage legal in more states.
At the beginning of 2009, Connecticut and Massachusetts were the only states that had legalized gay marriage, Eldridge noted. During that year, gay marriage became legal in New Hampshire, Vermont, Iowa and Washington, D.C.
“[This approval] provided tremendous momentum to us now, and it continues to provide momentum,” Eldridge said.
Affirming their progress was the release of CNN and Associated Press data in 2010 that, for the first time, showed in a national poll that the majority of Americans reported supporting the legalization of gay marriage.
“We saw tremendous victories in the court,” Eldridge said. “Which brings us to today, the beginning of 2011, where there is a lot more work to be done.”
Eldridge also outlined Freedom to Marry’s “roadmap to victory,” which involves winning votes in more states, increasing support for same-sex marriage and ending federal marriage discrimination.
Among the group’s goals are a judicial or legislative repeal of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act. In the upcoming months, Eldridge explained, the group hopes to get same-sex marriage legalized in Maryland, Rhode Island and New York.
“We have supportive governors in all of those three states,” he said. “None of those victories are a given, but we feel optimistic.”
Eldridge also noted that the group is hoping for the repeal of Proposition 8 in California. Freedom to Marry also intends to secure the legalization of same-sex marriage in Maine and Oregon.
Palacios explained that his group, Catholics for Equality, targets what he calls “the moveable middle” of American Catholics, in particular Catholic youths.
Catholics are relatively liberal, he explained, with 60 percent of Catholics from the ages of 18 to 29 being in favor of full marriage equality.
In order to promote his campaign, Palacios said, the group aims to present same-sex marriage as a pro-life issue.
“Pro-life means ... the holistic growth of every child,” Palacios said. “Pro-life means pro-gay, being pro-your child, pro-family, pro-the extended family.”
Palacios also said he intends to focus on the suicide, drug and alcohol addiction, HIV prevalence and lack of self-esteem extant among gay youths.
Goldberg, who focused on education, said it was important to teach the public that there is a difference between civil marriage and religious marriage and that most efforts to legalize same-sex marriage would not force religious institutions to recognize them.
While the United States might view itself as liberal on the issue of same-sex marriage, she said, many other countries, such as Argentina and Belgium, have already legalized same-sex marriage.
The discussion was moderated by Hendrik Hartog, the director of the Program in American Studies at the University, and is a part of the Woodrow Wilson School Public Affairs Lecture Series.
10) We need more LGBT activism
By Andrew Blumenfeld Friday, February 25th, 2011
Last December, Congress passed and the president signed the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the military policy banning homosexuals from serving openly. The vote and the signature are momentous, but they do not exist within a vacuum. The repeal of this policy represents the will and the work of the LGBT community, queer individuals and allies alike. And after years of struggle that has yielded five states with marriage equality (plus Washington, D.C.), it is possible that we will see that number nearly double in the next legislative cycle (New York, Rhode Island, Maryland and California). And the potential for success in the states takes on even more significance after President Obama ordered the U.S. Department of Justice to stop defending the so-called “Defense of Marriage Act” just two days ago.
But the momentum doesn’t stop with the military and marriage. Last week the governor of Massachusetts signed an executive order protecting state employees from being discriminated by gender identity and expression, and just this week Newark announced an education reform plan that includes a public school option for gay students. Yet even given this evidence of progress, there remain important empirical gaps in legal standing for LGBT people, including those in our Princeton community.The idea that Princeton students, capable and informed as we are, would not be at the forefront of such momentous social change seems absurd. It is just in time, then, that the Princeton Equality Project — a movement to engage Princeton students with LGBT issues — has joined the conversation. This new group represents an ideology that is often commonplace at Universities across the country but novel to the Princeton community: undergraduate activism matters.
Princeton students aren’t really enthusiastic about political activism. It’s certainly not a unique assertion to make. It takes quite a bit to get a rise out of us, and even then we seem pretty content talking it through and making sure there’s a whole lot of “awareness” of the issue at hand. Say what you will about Princeton students, we are nothing if not “aware.” I’m not sure if it’s due to our busy schedules, an urge to keep our hands clean before applying to high-profile jobs, or any other number of explanations. Whatever the motivation is, we seem — at least relative to student movements across the country and across time — fairly unmotivated to fight. What exactly this awareness translates into is unclear, but it’s certainly not action.
One area where this is acutely apparent, and not surprisingly so, is on the subject of LGBT rights. Here we are, over two hundred years into this country’s rocky history with equality, with a minority population systematically deprived of legal equality on one issue after the next by virtue of an element of their identity. This community does not have membership exclusively in some far off land, nor does it exist solely within any other discrete community, marginalized or otherwise. The percentage of LGBT individuals on this planet might not be tremendous, but, contrary to the claims of the presidents of Iran and China, for example, we exist in every race, religion, country, gender, income level, business and university.
Princeton is a place of tremendous privilege — something we are simultaneously troubled by and proud of. Yet some of our closeted peers return home for every break in silence, fearing for their physical, emotional or financial security should their families actually know them. This week, the Red Cross truck came to town and asked us to do our part, but gay students were told their very blood is suspect. As brilliant as any of our classmates, we graduate knowing we can legally lose our jobs in 29 states because of our sexuality. For as “aware” as we all are, how are members of the Princeton community degraded so thoroughly by law and society with so little response from the rest of us?
Given our wealth of resources, not least of which are our minds, we have a tremendous opportunity, if not a responsibility, to at least engage these issues. Undergraduate voices at Princeton can call for and work towards greater inclusion of the LGBT movement in academia, the particular needs of transsexual students in University healthcare, the role of sexual and gender identity in examinations of student leadership and much more. From University policy to federal law, there is progress to be made and the means to achieve it at Princeton. We just seem to be missing the will.
Everyday we go to classes, eat, talk and live with people who perpetually interact with injustice — their very identity is political. There is no abstention from a community that permits inequality; opting out of the conversation is being complicit with the status quo. This is why I am thrilled to introduce the Princeton Equality Project — a new student group created to meet awareness with action around LGBT issues. Things don’t just get better — you have to make them that way, and with the support of the Princeton community we intend to.
Andrew Blumenfeld is a sophomore from La Canada, Calif. He can be reached at ablumenf@princeton.edu.
11) Sexual freedom
By Brandon Davis Friday, March 11th, 2011
It’s easy to forget amid the cobblestone streets and quaint restaurants that Greenwich Village was once America’s hotbed of gay political activism. A mural at the Christopher Street subway station reminds visitors of the “anarchists, pacifists, feminists, communists, insurgents and visionaries” that began the gay rights movement forty-two years ago. Today, the “Village,” as it is known, houses a more benign kind of radicalism — gay pride parades, alternative newspapers or some left-wing student groups at New York University.
It is not hard, however, to find remnants of the neighborhood that gave rise to the 1969 Stonewall Rebellion. While there are few locales quite as seedy as the original Stonewall Inn, Christopher Street is still home to an unusually eclectic cast of New Yorkers. I recently found myself with some of them for a class assignment, at one of a number of unnamed sex shops.It is in places such as these at which the radical origins of the gay rights movement meet the movement’s more innocuous, modern incarnation. A sign on one pornography rack reads “Foot Fetishes Available at Counter”; right next to it is a bumper sticker that says “Love families, support all marriage.” Sexual liberation on the one hand, marital commitment on the other. Fetishes versus families.
The gay community has been dealing with this kind of schizophrenia since the early days of gay identity. In his history of gay theater — much of it based in Greenwich Village — John Clum described this tension as the “anarchic” versus “domestic” impulse. The first was an attempt to mock hetero-normative values, and the second an attempt to portray gays as “normal.” The contrast is still relevant in the gay community today, as certain members of the gay community disavow dominant, heterosexual culture and its institutions, while others seek to be a part of that culture. The political arm of the gay movement has chosen the latter, in both its branding and goals.
In recent years, the focus of the gay rights movement has trended towards marriage equality — the ability for gay people to marry just like everyone else and the ability to be “normal.” The public face of the gay community striving for this normality no longer includes the drag queens and hustlers who protested at the Stonewall Inn. Instead, we see Neil Patrick Harris or Ellen DeGeneres, Barney Frank or Lieutenant Dan Choi — entertainers, politicians and activists who, aside from their public role, would otherwise “pass” as straight. We see cowboys in “Brokeback Mountain,” soldiers in Lt. Dan Choi and families in TV shows and movies such as “Modern Family” or “The Kids are All Right.” It is easy for mainstream — that is, straight — America to accept the gay community and its marriage equality goals when the gay image is based on figures like these.
But an inside look at the gay community tells a different story. Even as gay people are accepted into the mainstream, the normality that dominates gay identity today coexists with the latent sexual radicalism of 40 years ago. While this radicalism does not receive media attention, it is still a significant part of gay identity. Back in the Greenwich Village sex shop, committed couples walk in to buy porn that they will watch together. Uptown, at a sex shop in the more upscale neighborhood of Chelsea, a graphic designer in a committed but open relationship is waiting for a hookup. These men, among others, are representative of a gay identity that was founded on a rejection of heterosexual institutions, but is now adopting them.
And as gay people are accepted into the mainstream — liberals, radicals and everyone in between — they are changing the definition of “mainstream.” The gap between sexual liberation and commitment, radical and liberal, fetish and family, is shrinking, in both the gay community and mainstream culture as a whole.
The gay rights movement, in its varied stages, has shown that the sexual freedom of Greenwich Village, even the kind found at Stonewall four decades ago, can coexist with the sexual institutions created by dominant, heterosexual society — including our society’s most basic understandings of love, relationships and, ultimately, marriage. We are expanding these ideas and institutions and making them more honest and inclusive. In spite of the sterility of the gay community’s image, we are still absorbing the radicalism that began the gay rights movement and the more moderate radicalism of today’s gay community. Among the litany of gay rights victories over the last few years, this too is something to celebrate.
Brandon Davis is a sophomore from Westport, Conn. He can be reached at bsdavis@princeton.edu.
12) Committee votes to recommend extended family benefits
By Elizabeth Johnson, March 11, 2011
The policy is identical to Northern Kentucky University's.
An extended family dependent, as described in the policy, and provided in the meeting's proposed agenda is:
- "Age 18 or older and mentally competent to consent
- Either not related by blood to the employee or if a blood relative (or relative by adoption or marriage) is of the same or younger generation of the employee
- Not legally married to anyone
- Not currently eligible for any part of Medicare
- Residing in the employee's household and have done so for a period of at least 12 months
- Financially interdependent for 12 months or longer, which could be demonstrated upon request by providing proof of existence of at least one of the following: joint mortgage or lease or other evidence of common residence such as joint utility bills, durable property or health care power of attorney, joint ownership of a motor vehicle, joint checking account/credit account, designation of each other as the primary beneficiary in a will, life insurance policy or retirement plan"
Voting against the motion to recommend said plan were Orville Herndon, publications systems manager for journalism and mass communications, Sherri Riddle, academic systems coordinator for CTLT, and Rebecca Wilder, accounting assistant for Dining and Racer Hospitality Services.
"I feel like the Committee does its work when a wide variety of opinions are voiced," said Ann Beck, chair of the Committee and associate professor of government, law and international affairs, via e-mail. "The Committee members have been outstanding in trying to consider innovative things that will enhance the University's ability to retain and enhance high quality employees. The passion that people bring to the process of deliberation sometimes heats the room, but it also provides energy for making necessary changes to recognize the many different types of families that support each of us as employees of MSU."
Upon review from Denton, the recommendation will either be sent back to the Insurance and Benefits Committee for revision or will be presented to the Board of Regents for a vote.
Jody Cofer, co-chair of the President's Commission on Diversity and Inclusion, said he is pleased with the results of the meeting.
"The Insurance and Benefits Committee recommendation in favor of extended family dependent benefits was the next step in what has been a very thoughtful study of this issue. If ultimately enacted by the University, these types of benefits would be yet another tool in the chest for recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce – something key to future successes of the University," Cofer said.
Northern Kentucky University, University of Kentucky, University of Louisville and Western Kentucky University have all implemented similar policy changes.
13) GWU attacker charged with ‘hate crime’ on straight man he thought was gay
By Eric Ethington Friday, March 11, 2011
WASHINGTON — A heterosexual student at George Washington University was beaten to within inches of his life earlier this week, after another heterosexual student mistook him for being gay.
Police have arrested Ross Richardson, a GWU senior, and he has been charged with a hate crime.
Metropolitan Police Department officers arrested senior Ross Richardson early Sunday morning in Ivory Tower [residential hall], after he kicked and punched a fellow senior while saying “you fucking fag,” according to court documents.
The victim was transported to GW Hospital with significant head trauma, including bleeding in his brain.
The incident is classified as a hate crime, or a crime directed at an individual based upon prejudice or bias, according to the documents. The victim – whose name is being withheld due to a Hatchet policy of not naming assault victims – said he never met Richardson prior to the assault.
One witness saw Richardson kick the victim in the stomach several times while the victim was on the ground, according to police documents. Another witness saw Richardson push the victim against a wall while punching him and calling him “fag” and “motherfucker” multiple times.
The Ivory Tower co-ed student residence hall is home to more than 700 GWU students.
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