Politics

LGBT Support for Hillary Clinton

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Hillary Clinton

Hillary Clinton has not yet announced if she intends to run for President in 2016, but that hasn’t stopped many members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community from coming out to show their support.  In fact, hundreds of people showed up for an LGBT ‘Out and Ready for Hillary’ fundraiser last January, and community members are not waiting for an announcement to start organizing.

A few friends and I have already joined in the planning.  You can find us on facebook at fb.com/outforhillary or on twitter at twitter.com/outforhillary.  You can also check out our website at www.outforhillary.com.

Of course, the LGBT community is very diverse so there will likely be LGBT folks involved in a number of different campaigns.  There will also be people working hard to make hold Hillary (and her supporters) accountable every step of the way.

When Bill Clinton spoke at the Human Rights Campaign back in October, Get Equal took the opportunity to encourage the Hillary Clinton to be a strong advocate for many of the broader social justice issues important to our community.

“Today’s action was a chance for the LGBTQ community to make sure that Hillary Clinton hears loud and clear that, as she readies a presidential bid, we need her to stand up for progressive values as a champion and leader, not simply as a middle-of-the-road political candidate,” said Heather Cronk, GetEQUAL co-director. “I hope Secretary Clinton hears that the LGBTQ community cares deeply not only about passing a full LGBTQ equality bill, but also about reforming our broken immigration system, ensuring full reproductive health access, ending widespread and system police brutality, and winning economic justice measures that allow us to provide for and support our families. Our community won’t be swayed simply by high-profile speeches — we need to see serious action.”

 

 

LGBT Healthcare Bill of Rights

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Bill of Rights

At the 2011 National Coalition for LGBT Health Meeting, LGBT HealthLink’s Director, Dr. Scout, concluded a presentation by suggesting our communities really needed to create a healthcare bill of rights. The response from the experts in attendance was overwhelming; dozens of experts chimed in to concur. In the years since, our healthcare rights have only expanded yet public understanding about those rights – which is critical to their effectiveness – has not kept pace. For example, very few people know that any hospital accredited by the Joint Commission must now have an LGBT nondiscrimination policy. Or that health insurers in the new marketplaces cannot discriminate either. Making this problem worse, even healthcare institutions are not fully educated about these changes. Most hospitals that were approached by PROMO, the LGBT equality organization for Missouri, could show no evidence of having an LGBT nondiscrimination policy in place. We have many new rights, and now more than ever we need to understand what they are to get the healthcare we deserve.

In 2014, LGBT HealthLink partnered with PROMO Missouri and lawyer Corey Prachniak from Washington DC to create a short document summarizing our rights in the healthcare world now. A few of these rights are aspirational, they have protections in most cases but not a blanket ruling protecting all cases. We have included them because we feel we need to outline the moral rights as well as those which already enjoy full legal protection. After working closely with healthcare policymakers for years, we know the intent is to treat us with full equality and fairness. Outright hostility or chilly climates around LGBT people no longer have a place in health care. We know discrimination is a major reason LGBT people experience profound health disparities now; it needs to be part of our past.

The first step is to be educated about our rights and stand up when they are not met.

Learn more at: www.healthcarebillofrights.org

A Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia

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May 17th is the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT).  It was created in 2004 to draw the attention of policymakers, opinion leaders, social movements, the public and the media to the violence and discrimination experienced by LGBTI people internationally.

Since then the Day has grown in both scope and depth. In 2013, actions around the International Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia took place in almost 120 countries. In the United Kingdom alone in 2013, almost 200 events took place around the Day, whilst in Brazil just under 120 events were registered one month before May 17.
In short, in under a decade, the International Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia has established itself the single most important date for LGBTI communities to mobilise on a worldwide scale.

The International Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia is not one centralised campaign; rather it is amoment that everyone can take advantage of to take action.
The date of May 17th was specifically chosen to commemorate the World Health Organization’s decision in 1990 to declassify homosexuality as a mental disorder.
The International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia has received official recognition from several States and such international institutions as the European Parliament, and by countless local authorities. Most United Nations agencies also mark the Day with specific events.

LGBTI organizations, governments, cities, human rights organizations, corporations and celebrities have all taken action on May 17th to:

  • Draw media attention to the issue of homophobia and transphobia
  • Organise events which mobilize public opinion
  • Demand attention from policymakers and engage in lobbying activities
  • Network with like-minded organizations and develop new partnerships, at home or beyond
  • Mobilize existing constituencies and address new audiences

Find out more at www.dayagainsthomophobia.org