Action Alert: Join the Wait… What?! Campaign to Spread the Word about Equal Rights

Join the Wait... What?! Campaign today, and stand up for equal rights!

Did you know your friends can be fired in 29 states, just for being gay? Surprised? So are lots of folks; equal rights are farther from reality than many of us would like to believe.

Join the Wait…What?! social media campaign to learn some surprising facts and let your friends know that you support them.

Through viral sharing on Facebook and Twitter, thousands of new voices will chime in to bring attention to equal rights issues like employment and housing discrimination. The movement has made great strides over the past year, year with the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and the passing of the marriage equality bill in New York, but there’s still much more to be done!

Friendfactor Founder Brian Elliot explains the campaign like this:

Not everyone realizes the full extent to which their gay friends are not equal: they can legally be fired and evicted in 29 states just for being gay. In 32 states, there’s zero protection from the law when gay friends are bullied. My straight friends are shocked when they learn these things, and we know other straight friends will be too. We believe there’s a tremendous opportunity to engage these friends and accelerate the pace of change for their gay friends.

Take Action: Join the campaign and share a surprising fact to stand up for your gay friends. The more eyes we can get on these facts, the faster we can fix what’s broken.

In 29+ states, your friends can be evicted just for being gay.

It might not make the news very often, but housing discrimination against gay people is a huge problem in the US: In 29 states, there are absolutely no laws protecting your gay friends from being evicted or denied access to housing just because of who they are. A whopping 35 states don’t protect your trans friends either.

Worse still, imagine getting kicked out of an apartment where you’ve lived for years because the landlord finally realized you and your boo weren’t “roommates.” Married to your sweetheart? Still not in the clear. Even though it’s been illegal to practice housing discrimination on the basis of marital status since the federal government passed the Fair Housing Act in 1968, you have no basis to fight the injustice because that same federal government won’t recognize your marriage.

That’s exactly what happened to one North Dakota couple, whose story is unfortunately far from unique:

Gina Powers has her own example of why North Dakota needs anti-discrimination protection for gays and lesbians. She and her partner, Steph Rindy, were booted from their West Fargo apartment once their landlord discovered Steph wasn’t a man.

It was just before Christmas, about seven years ago, Powers said.

“He literally came to our door, knocked on it, and said, ‘Yeah, you guys are out of here,’” Powers said. “I contacted my attorney, who assured me we had, really, no rights because we were being told to leave with no reason other than our orientation.”

(via The Bismarck Tribune)

This landlord was acting legally. The law says he can kick Gina and Steph out for absolutely no reason except their orientation. Despite admitting his discrimination outright, he’s within the bounds of the law.

There are few human needs more basic than the need to have a safe, warm roof over one’s head. The UN even includes housing as part of its Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Right now, 29+ states aren’t treating your gay friends as fully human.

Take Action: “Like” and share this article. Raise awareness about the widespread housing discrimination your gay friends face. If enough of us make noise about this, we can make real change happen faster.

For more information on the real-world effects of housing discrimination against LGBT Americans, the Center for American Progress has wonderful resources on “Gay and Transgender Discrimination Outside the Workplace.”

Gay dad can’t leave his kids with his husband OR ANY OTHER MAN, because discrimination makes no sense.

Imagine being half a decade past a difficult divorce. Imagine you’ve happily remarried, and finally feel you’re in a place to request a change in custody arrangements so you can spend more time with your kids. Now imagine a judge not only denying your request for more family time, but ruling that from now on your kids can’t be left alone with your new spouse, their legal step-father. This nightmare is happening to a gay dad, William Flowers, in Houston.

William and Jim were married on March 19 of last year in Connecticut, one of seven states which recognize same-sex unions. It was a second marriage for both.

When William and his ex-wife divorced in 2004, they agreed that their three children would live with her. Wanting to change the arrangement, William recently filed for custody in Harris County. A jury found that she should keep the kids, though his regular visitations would continue. Neither William nor his ex-wife alleged that the children had been abused or were in any danger of being abused.

Following the trial, Harris County Associate Judge Charley E. Prine, Jr. issued a ruling which included an injunction applicable only to William. It prohibits him from leaving his children alone with any male to whom the kids are not related by “blood or adoption.” So if, for example, William wants to visit his mother in the hospital (where she’s been for several weeks), he can’t leave his kids at home with his husband. As written, the injunction also prohibits male doctors, teachers and pastors from being alone with the children.

(via Chron.com)

According to experts in Texan family law, this ruling is completely unheard of. There’s been no allegation of abuse on the part of any party. The judge didn’t even resort to similarly-ugly (but at least legal) measures such as a ban on romantic partners of a custodial parent being present after certain hours, which would have forced Jim to move out of his own house. And in case you missed it, this totally illogical ruling will essentially make it impossible for William to act as a father to his own children: he’ll never be able to be sure he isn’t leaving them alone with an adult male at school, the doctor’s office, or should he  need a last-minute sitter. Unbelievable.

This is only one of a thousand ways in which DOMA (the Defense of Marriage Act), and the lack of coherent family law practices throughout the country, harm families and present opportunities to discriminate against gay couples. The salt on this wound is that William and Jim are legally married. But thanks to DOMA and a Texas law prohibiting recognition of unions performed elsewhere, that marriage means nothing in their home state. Stories like this leave every gay dad ajd mom in the US shivering in their boots.

Take Action: Share this story to raise awareness about the destructive effects of DOMA on families. And while you’re at it, check the Freedom Index to find out about the protections available to gay couples in your state.

Do you live in one of these five up & coming, gay-friendly neighborhoods?

Everybody knows if you’re looking for the freshest art, edgiest retail, and an all-around good time, you follow your gay* friends’ lead to the hottest spot in your urban area. But what if you don’t live in Chicago (where you obviously know to get off the red line in Boystown), can’t get to San Fran’s Castro, and aren’t a fabulous stone’s throw from Brooklyn?

You may still be in luck! Check out these five budding hoods where hip stuff is happening for gay and straight folks alike, and think about planning a trip with your best LGBT buddy – all for fun and fun for all!

(Five fave hot-spots after the jump.)

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