Texas Legislation Poses Threat to Local LGBTQ Community

Equality Texas

Equality Texas, the largest statewide organization solely dedicated to securing full equality for LGBTQ Texans condemned today’s Senate passage of Lt. Governor Dan Patrick and Senator Charles Perry’s SB 17, the #1 threat to the LGBTQ community.

Lt. Governor Dan Patrick’s new attack on LGBTQ Texans, SB 17, is a sweeping bill that would empower and protect discriminatory behavior across hundreds of professional activities – including medical care, where providers or clinic owners could refuse treatment for LGBTQ people in need of care.

Equality Texas urges Texans to demonstrate their opposition to SB 17 and urge the Texas House of Representatives to reject this discriminatory legislation.

“Dan Patrick has doubled down on his attack on the LGBTQ community, moving out of bathrooms and into every single licensed profession in Texas,” said Samantha Smoot, Interim Executive Director of Equality Texas. 

The newly-prioritized SB 17 will create dangerous “religious exemptions” for virtually every licensed occupation in Texas – hundreds of professions, from barbers to tow truck operators to doctors. If an occupational license holder were to call on “sincerely held religious belief” in taking a discriminatory action, the licensing agency that oversees the occupation would have no recourse to remedy that discrimination. This includes health care providers, who could turn away sick and injured people seeking care (unless immediate live-saving measures were needed), based just patient’s identity, or that of their parents. Lt. Gov. Patrick has placed this bill on his “top 30” priority list, signaling his intention to pass it.

There are an additional 15 bills that would make a mockery of religious freedom, guaranteeing that discrimination will be permitted. The bills would allow businesses, licensed professionals and even government officials to use religion to exempt themselves from nondiscrimination laws and policies, including licensing and professional standards.

“Religious freedom is a fundamental American value protected in our U.S. Constitution.  But religious freedom was never intended to be a license to discriminate,” said Smoot. “SB 17 would create a religious litmus test, and open the doors to discrimination and to real harm to LGBTQ Texans.  Dan Patrick has launched a whole new war against LGBTQ people, and this ‘license to discriminate’ bill is our #1 threat this session.” 

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Equality Texas is the largest statewide organization working to secure full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer Texans through political action, education, community organizing, and collaboration. The Equality Texas Foundation works to secure full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer Texans through education, community organizing, and collaboration.

California Legislation Would End Unnecessary Genital Surgery on Intersex Babies

Scott Wiener

From Equality Florida: Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) has introduced legislation to ensure intersex individuals—a term used often used by people born with variations in their sex characteristics, including genitalia—can provide informed consent before any medical treatments or interventions that could irreversibly affect their fertility or sexual function, will be pulled from the 2019 legislative session and pushed to 2020. After hearing testimony on the bill last Monday, the Committee decided to postpone the vote to see if consensus could be reached between the bill’s supporters and medical associations that had previously refused to negotiate with Senator Wiener.

Senate Bill 201 is an overdue measure which will give individuals the opportunity to delay medically unnecessary, potentially harmful, irreversible procedures until they have the ability to make an informed decision for themselves. SB 201, at its core, is about giving people born with variations in their sex characteristics autonomy over their own bodies and lives. When it comes to choosing deeply personal interventions for an individual when they may not be wanted, acting is risky, while waiting costs nothing. Delay gives individuals and their families the most options, including access to future medical advances once the patient can understand the risks and their own priorities. Senate Bill 201 would not have prohibited treatment or surgery when medically necessary; it simply prohibited medically unnecessary surgeries on babies that are purely elective and based on a desire to “normalize” a child’s genitals. Some of these surgeries include invasive procedures such as reducing a clitoris, creating a vagina, or removing healthy gonadal tissue. They can also lead to assigning a gender before an individual has the opportunity to express a gender for themselves.

Comprising approximately 1-2% of all people, those born with both variations in their sex characteristics, sometimes referred to as intersex traits, aren’t rare—they are just invisible. A subset of these variations are recognized at birth, while others may go unnoticed until later in life, if ever. Although a very small percentage of intersex infants may require immediate surgical intervention—for example some are born without the ability to pass urine—the vast majority are born with no health issues related to their genitals and are able to live rich, fulfilling lives without any modification.

“We’ve made significant strides in California to protect the right of sexual minorities to determine our lives and make decisions about our own bodies, but much work clearly remains to raise awareness and educate about this important civil rights issue, both in the Legislature and in the medical profession,” said Senator Wiener. “Progressive California should not be denying individuals the basic human right to decide what happens to their own bodies, yet that is exactly what is happening as surgeons and parents assign genders to babies without any actual input from that child. SB 201 stands for a very basic and common-sense notion: That individuals should choose for themselves if and when to undergo life-altering and gender-assigning surgeries that aren’t medically necessary. Our broad coalition of intersex advocates, medical professionals, LGBT advocacy organizations, parents, civil rights organizations, and affected individuals look forward to the day when this basic human right is respected and protected by law, and we will continue to fight to make this vision a reality.”

Beginning in the mid-twentieth century, physicians began modifying the genitals of infants they considered atypical. These treatments and interventions have included infant vaginoplasties, clitoral reductions, and removal of gonadal tissues, and may result in extreme scarring, chronic pain, incontinence, loss of sexual sensation, post-traumatic stress disorder, and incorrect gender assignment. While a number of doctors continue to perform these irreversible procedures in infancy based on the theory that they will help intersex people feel more “normal,” no research definitively proves that claim, or the assumption that conformity is more important than autonomy over their bodies. All major groups led by affected adults condemn the practice when performed without the consent of the individual involved.

Three former Surgeons General, who were appointed by Presidents of both parties, oppose medically unnecessary genital surgery on intersex babies stating, “When an individual is born with atypical genitalia that pose no physical risk, treatment should focus not on surgical intervention but on psychosocial and educational support… [I]ntersex persons routinely face forced medical surgeries that are conducted at a young age without free or informed consent. These interventions jeopardize their physical integrity and ability to live free.” Read their full report here.

“SB 201 has not only already raised tremendous intersex visibility in California and national media, it has given our entire community hope that compassionate and ethical care for children born with intersex traits is on the horizon,” said Kimberly Zieselman, Executive Director of interACT: Advocates for Intersex Youth, an intersex woman herself affected by the surgeries.

“At its core, SB 201 is about the State of California respecting each and every person’s autonomy over their own body and their own gender identity,” said Equality California Executive Director Rick Zbur. “California has led the way in protecting the civil rights of LGBTQ people over the last 20 years, and the fundamental principle underlying those protections has been respect for an individual’s own sexual orientation, gender identity and autonomy over their body. The bill’s delay today means that thousands more Californians will be subjected to medically unnecessary and often irreversible procedures aimed at ‘normalizing’ their bodies—without their consent and before they have any sense of their gender Identity.”

“We are proud that SB 201 has brought awareness of this marginalized population of children to the legislature. California already prohibits certain other practices with high risks of irreversible harm from taking place during childhood. SB 201 is in line with this approach and will help ensure that care is centered on the needs of patients themselves, not the ‘normalization’ of their bodies,” said Becca Cramer-Mowder, Legislative Coordinator and Advocate for the ACLU of California.

Human Rights Watch, the World Health Organization, and every other human rights organization to consider the issue has condemned the continued performance of these procedures without individual consent. Dozens of United Nations entities have repeatedly condemned the practice of intersex infant genital surgery. SB 201 is supported by Human Rights Watch, Lambda Legal, GLAAD, Trevor Project, Transgender Law Center, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, Physicians for Human Rights, GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBT Equality, and numerous other human rights, LGBT, and medical organizations. It was co-authored by Senators Jim Beall (D-San Jose) and Cathleen Galgiani (D-Stockton), and Assemblymembers Wendy Carrillo (D-Los Angeles), David Chiu (D-San Francisco), Todd Gloria (D-San Diego), Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento), Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), and Bill Quirk (D-Hayward). The bill was officially introduced on January 28. Full bill text can be found here.

SB 201 builds on Senator Wiener’s Senate Concurrent Resolution 110, passed in 2018, which called on the medical community to delay performing medically unnecessary sex-assignment and genital “normalization” procedures until an individual can provide informed consent. The resolution was the first of its kind in the nation, and called on the medical community to create clear guidelines to protect this population of vulnerable children. Unfortunately, the California medical community failed to act, and it became clear that SB 201 was needed to drive this next step. The bill was opposed by the California Medical Association, the American Association of Clinical Urologists, the American Urological Association, the California Society of Plastic Surgeons, the California Urological Association, the Pediatric Endocrine Society, and the Societies for Pediatric Urology.

Las Vegas LGBTQ Center Launches Intersex Support Group

Intersex Support Groups

The Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Southern Nevada, (The Center) has launched a new Intersex Support Group.

Intersex Connect is a group for people of any gender identity or sexual orientation who were born with any variety of natural body variations in hormones, chromosomes, or gonads that do not fall under institutionalized, binary definitions of male/female-sexed bodies. This is a space to share experiences, ask questions, find resources, and build community. People who are intersex can often be very isolated in that experience, with no other intersex people in their lives to relate to, share experiences and resources with.

The group meets on the fourth Thursdays, monthly, from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM at The Center, 401 S Maryland Pkwy Las Vegas, NV 89101.

click here for more information

NCAVP Mourns the Death of Ashanti Carmon

Ashanti Carmon

NCAVP mourns the death of Ashanti Carmon, a 27-year-old black trans woman in Washington D.C. According to media reports, Ashanti was died of gun shot wounds last Saturday on the eve of Transgender Day of Visibility. Carmon’s fiancé, Phillip Williams, told NBC News that they had been on a movie date the day before she was found dead.

“Until I leave this Earth, I’m going to continue on loving her in my heart, body, and soul,” Williams said. “She did not deserve to leave this Earth so early, especially in the way that she went out. She did not deserve that.”

NCAVP’s latest report, issued earlier this year, Hate Violence and Intimate Partner Violence in LGBTQ and HIV-affected Communities highlights the disproportionate risk for severe and fatal violence faced by trans women of color, like Ashanti. Local community held a vigil on April 2 to honor Ashanti’s memory

It can be hard to read these reports of violence against our communities. If you need support in these difficult times, you can always reach out to your local NCAVP member. If you or someone you know is experiencing violence, you can reach our free bilingual national hotline at 212-714-1141 or report onlinefor support.

NCAVP works to prevent, respond to, and end all forms of violence against and within lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) and HIV-affected communities. NCAVP is a national coalition of local member programs and affiliate organizations who create systemic and social change. NCAVP is a program of the New York City Anti-Violence Project.

LGBTQ Guide to Miami

LGBTQ Miami

Miami Beach is an award-winning LGBTQ destination filled with spirit and pride offering a multitude of experiences that cater to gay travelers from around the globe. From new, “hetero-friendly” hotels debuting stateside and must-visit drag brunch shows, to the iconic Miami beach Pride Parade next month, Miami Beach is like no other place in the world, embracing and celebrating the gay community all 365 days of the year. 

“Miami Beach has a long history of welcoming gay travelers and offering a variety of events, hotels, restaurants, bars and destinations that makes anyone in the LGBTQ community feel at home,” said Steve Adkins, Chairman of the Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority (MBVCA). “More than 1.2 million LGBTQ travelers visit our destination each year and we are dedicated to continuing our concerted efforts to accommodate this coveted traveler segment through ongoing, city-wide initiatives.”

Travelers looking for a gay-centric stay on Miami Beach this year can choose from a number of Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority picks including:

What to Do:

  • Princess, Out There (March 8) – The iconic duo will be premiering their live narrative video album that takes on cultural misogyny and the Divine Feminine at the Bass Museum.
  • Winter Music Conference (March 25-28) – Check out Miami’s LGBTQ Underground Panel during the city’s premiere musical event, which provides the opportunity for music lovers from all over the globe to gain industry insights, and connect with other music lovers, all while enjoying beautiful Miami Beach.
  • 11th Annual Miami Beach Pride Parade (April 7-8) – The mission of Miami Beach Pride is to bring together members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community, their friends, allies, and supporters in celebration of the unique spirit and culture of the LGBTQ community.
  • Outshine Film Festival (Starts April 18) – The biannual film festival highlights the local LGBTQ+ community. With film screenings and events throughout the city, it’s a can’t miss event to celebrate contemporary and classic queer cinema.

Where to Stay:

  • Axel Hotels – The internationally renowned LGBTQ hotel brand will call Miami Beach home in 2019, the chain’s first US location, that will include a destination restaurant, spa and community experiences.
  • Hotel Gaythering – This award-winning, iconic gay-owned hotel in Miami Beach is a boutique destination with “handsome industrial” design. Fully equipped for gay vacationers and locals alike with amenities such as an onsite gay bar with daily events and weekly specials, and clothing-optional, men-only gay sauna, jacuzzi, and steam room.

Where to Eat + Drink:

  • Front Porch Café – Stop by this beloved gay-owned institution that has been serving up the best breakfast in town for over 20 years and don’t miss the iconic pancakes.
  • Palace Bar – Brunch on the weekends is destination event on Ocean Drive and Palace Bar brings out all the stops with their legendary bottomless brunch + live drag shows.
  • Big Pink –Located South of Fifth, the restaurant is an all-hours scene for anyone looking for a retro diner experience to recover after a late night out.
  • Icebox Cafe – a staple on Miami Beach for 20 years, this gay-owned culinary destination offers up breakfast, lunch, brunch and dinner and is even home to Oprah’s favorite chocolate cake.

For more information on the best gay-friendly ways to experience Miami Beach in 2019, download the Miami Beach app at http://www.miamibeachapi.com/.

San Francisco Declares it is Open to All

San Francisco is Open to All

San Francisco is the first city in the country to join the Open to All movement. Open to All is the nationwide public engagement campaign to build awareness and understanding about the importance of strengthening our nation’s nondiscrimination laws—and to defend the bedrock principle that when businesses open their doors to the public, they should be Open to All.

The campaign was launched to focus attention on the Masterpiece Cakeshop vs. Colorado Civil Rights Commission case before the U.S. Supreme Court. While the court’s decision in that case affirmed the importance of nondiscrimination laws, it did not end the discrimination that so many Americans still face every day. The laws in most states still don’t explicitly protect LGBT people from discrimination—and discrimination based race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, religion, and disability still happens far too often.

“San Francisco has a long history of standing united to advance the national dialogue around acceptance, civil rights, and human rights,” said Mayor London N. Breed. “The Open to All campaign is about reinforcing our values and stating that no matter who you are, where you have come from, or who you love, you are welcome here in San Francisco.”

The Open to All campaign is supported by a wide array of more than 200 national and state public education organizations and elected officials, as well as more than 1,500 businesses and nonprofit service providers. The coalition includes both larger companies like Gap, Levi Strauss, Marriott, and Lyft, as well as many small local businesses. Businesses that take the Open to All pledge

Find out more at www.opentoall.com.

Southerners on New Ground Job Openings

Song Job

Southerners on new ground (SONG) is hiring to help support their ever growing work and our membership across the South. SONG is looking for looking for a Communications Fellow, Development Fellow, Operations Support and Facilities Support to join the team!

Southerners On New Ground (SONG) is a regional Queer Liberation organization made up of Black people, people of color, immigrants, undocumented people, people with disabilities, working class and rural and small town, LGBTQ people in the South.

You can find job descriptions and more information about how to apply in links below:

Development Fellow
Communications Fellow
Operations Support
Facilities Support

Judge Preliminarily Green-Lights Lawsuit Against Conversion Therapy Ban

Florida GLBT Equality

Equality Florida Press Release — This week a Florida federal Magistrate Judge recommended that the City of Tampa be barred from enforcing part of its Conversion Therapy Ban Ordinance during a pending legal challenge. The federal Magistrate Judge also recommended that the case could proceed on limited grounds while recommending other claims should be dismissed. There is no timeline for the federal District Court Judge to act on the Magistrate Judge’s recommendations.

The City of Tampa is one of twenty local governments in Florida that has banned so-called “conversion therapy” on minors. Conversion therapy, a widely debunked practice, seeks to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Nearly every mainstream​ ​medical and mental health association has spoken against this practice. Previously, the federal Ninth and Third Circuit courts have refused to block conversion therapy bans.

“The fact remains that LGBTQ minors are at risk of fraudulent and dangerous so-called ‘conversion therapy,’” said Equality Florida Public Policy Director Jon Harris Maurer. “This lawsuit is being driven by Liberty Counsel, the same far-right extremists who recently attacked a bipartisan, anti-lynching bill that unanimously passed in the U.S. Senate just because it includes LGBTQ people. Equality Florida will not be deterred from protecting LGBTQ youth, and we applaud the City of Tampa’s leadership for taking a stand to do the same.”

Jose Vega, a Floridian who endured almost six years of conversion therapy, responded to the news:

“As a conversion therapy survivor, I know just how critical it is to protect minors from this dangerous practice. Conversion therapy is life-altering. It almost shattered my life. We cannot allow anti-LGBTQ forces to roll back the progress we have made in protecting young people from the horrors of conversion therapy.”

For more information, visit www.eqfl.org.

GENDA Moves Forward in New York State

The GLBT Center of New York

Glennda Testone, Executive Director of The Center (the LGBT Community Center of New York City, made the following statement in in regards to the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act:

After years of fierce advocacy and activism in transgender and gender nonconforming communities, it is with great pleasure that The Center wholeheartedly applauds New York State lawmakers for passing the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA, A747/S1047), a major step forward in ensuring that transgender, gender nonconforming and nonbinary (TGNCNB) people are treated fairly and equally under the law. By adding gender identity and expression as a protected class under the Human Rights Law, GENDA provides TGNCNB people with protection against harassment and discrimination in employment, housing and public spaces like restaurants and shops.

This hard-fought victory is a result of more than a decade of dedicated activism, bravery and persistence, led by TGNCNB advocates and allies across New York State and beyond. We thank them for never giving up on this crucial piece of legislation and fighting so that TGNCNB people in our community are affirmed, protected and celebrated.

We also applaud the passage of A576/S1046, legislation that now bans the dangerous and medically-discredited practice known as ‘conversion therapy’ in New York State. By banning conversion therapy, New York will protect LGBTQ youth, especially TGNCNB youth, from being unduly victimized and traumatized simply for living their authentic lives.

The Center was proud to include GENDA and the statewide ban on conversion therapy as key priorities for our advocacy initiative, RiseOut, as part of a broad, unified effort to pass LGBTQ-affirming legislation with LGBTQ community leaders from every region of the state.

As we celebrate the historic progress made today, we must also recognize that one law is not a cure-all for the systemic oppression and discrimination that TGNCNB New Yorkers face. To most effectively protect marginalized communities who continue to be disproportionately impacted by hate crimes and targeted by the criminal justice system, lawmakers must also address the overrepresentation of queer, TGNCNB people and people of color in the criminal justice system. To this end, The Center has proposed a reporting bill as a companion to GENDA that would gather data to help legislators understand how criminal penalties under the Hate Crimes Act are applied. It will report on the sexual orientation, gender identity and racial or ethnic identity of victims and alleged perpetrators of hate crimes.

Today represents a bright moment in New York State’s progressive history. We applaud our legislature’s steadfast leadership and commitment to civil rights as we look forward to continuing our work to build a stronger, more inclusive New York State where all LGBTQ people are welcomed, affirmed and fully protected.

Glennda Testone,
Executive Director

LA Center Marks 50 Years of Queer

Los Angeles LGBT Center

The Los Angeles LGBT Center, which is the world’s largest LGBT organization, has announced 50 Years of Queer, the new campaign to commemorate its 50th anniversary. Throughout 2019 the Center’s signature events and other community-focused occasions will hallmark the organization’s half-century milestone.

“This is a historic moment for the Center and for the LGBT community,” said Center CEO Lorri L. Jean. “Fifty years ago, a small group of volunteers banded together and decided to change the world. Perhaps that’s not how they thought of it, but that’s what happened. What began as a vision for helping members of our community developed into what’s now the largest LGBT organization, with nearly 700 employees, thousands of volunteers and supporters, and many more thousands of people whose lives have been changed for the better. What better way to celebrate who we are, where we’ve come from, and where we’re going than with a year-long set of opportunities for everyone to get involved!”

The year-long celebration will feature two landmark events that will serve as centerpieces of the anniversary festivities:

On April 7, the Center will open the two-acre Anita May Rosenstein Campus, a first-of-its-kind complex in Hollywood which will offer comprehensive multi-generational services and 100 beds for homeless youth, a new Senior Community Center and Youth Academy, and expanded programming and administrative space. Phase 2—scheduled to open in early 2020—will include 99 units of affordable housing for seniors and 25 supportive housing apartments for youth.

On September 21, a star-studded celebration and concert at the Greek Theatre will feature musical headliners and special guests, preceded by a sit-down gala dinner.

In celebration of 50 Years of Queer, events throughout the year will integrate important historical and cultural themes that highlight not only the history of the Center, but the LGBT movement at large. Among those events will be a special year-long Big Queer Convo panel series documenting the impact of LGBT people on the entertainment and news media over the last half-century, beginning on January 30 with The New Normal: Television and the Emergence of LGBT Identities. A host of other events will follow including: Simply diVine (April 27), the premier food and wine event for LGBT people and their allies at Hollywood Forever; L.A. Pride Parade (June 9) in which the Center’s march contingency will hold placards depicting LGBT individuals who posed for the 50 Years of Queer campaign; Trans Pride L.A., one of the oldest and largest trans celebrations in the country (June 14–15); OUT Under the Stars summer outdoor film screenings at Hollywood Forever (tentatively scheduled for June 21 and August 16); and the 27th Annual Models of Pride, the world’s largest free conference of its kind geared for LGBTQ youth and their allies (October).

Starting later this month, a special series of commemorative books will be released throughout the year, along with a digital 50 for 50 series, highlighting 50 moments from the Center’s history and inviting community members to share their stories. Don’t miss out on the details! For the latest news and updates about the 50 Years of Queer campaign and the exciting year-long events and activities, visit lalgbtcenter.org/50 and follow @lalgbtcenter on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.