Posted: September 12th, 2011 | Author: Dinah | 1 Comment »
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.”
Posted: September 8th, 2011 | Author: Dinah | 2 Comments »
Many thanks to awesome Ffriend Will Cheval Jr. for help with this post!
No, “LGBT” isn’t a special Morse Code signal; it’s a way to “simplify” the types of folks included in the gay, or LGBT (lesbian, gay, bi, and trans), community. (With that many letters, could have fooled us too.) But these labels are important to a lot of folks, so it’s worth a little research to understand the answer to the question, “What is LGBT?”
It probably seems a lot simpler to just refer to all our non-hetero friends as “gay” and be done with it. So why are lots of folks insistent on a different, particular term? As your friend navigates their new identity of “not straight,” they’re going to find a lot of different communities, identities, and ideas. It’s going to be hard, and settling on a label they’re comfortable with is a part of figuring out who they are, and sharing it with others.
And now, the terms: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, and Ally.
- Gay is the typically used term to identify both guys and gals who are sexually attracted to someone of the same gender.
- Lesbian, on the other hand, refers only to women who are attracted to other women.
- Bisexual means a person is attracted to both men and women. No, it doesn’t mean your bi friend is constantly involved in torrid 3-ways and orgies, or that they can’t settle down permanently with one dude or lady. Just that they’re attracted to both sexes. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: September 6th, 2011 | Author: Dinah | 12 Comments »
Gay marriage: you’ve read about it. Probably more than most other gay issues. Here’s why.
Gay or straight, we’ve all been brought up to understand that marriage is a central moment in our lives. Some folks may reject that premise in adulthood – and more power to them – but for a lot of us marriage is a major milestone, a change in identity to being a married person rather than still, in some sense, single. I’d put money down that you’ve put at least a little bit of thought into what your wedding might be like. Yes, you. But on top of all this cultural and spiritual meaning, marriage is an important legal status. Being married affects more parts of your life than you can shake a stick (or bouquet) at.
The freedom to marry is a big, big legal disparity to tackle for gay couples, but there are also lots of other incredibly pressing things that need to change in order for gay and straight folks to be equal under the law. This other stuff – employment discrimination, lack of housing protections, and second freedom from violence to name just a few – is vital for the health and well-being of gay Americans, and groups around the country are fighting for equality. Gay marriage is news largely because it’s an emotional issue. Love is a wonderful thing to rally around (getting fired for being gay is a real downer in comparison to potential weddings), plus there are 1,100 rights and protections associated with marriage. Your gay friends need them.
Marriage is the ultimate goal – not domestic partnerships or civil unions (more on these after the cut), and the Federal government and 44 states don’t recognize a gay couple’s right to marry. It has to change.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: August 22nd, 2011 | Author: Dinah | 5 Comments »
Ten bucks says you caught this question today (and every other Monday ever): “What’d you do this weekend?” Innocent enough, right? If you’re like me, all you’ve got to talk about are naps, flea markets, maybe catching a show if my friends and I were feeling adventurous. Plus I’d probably mention spending time with my boo.
And therein lies the problem. My boo is a lady, too.
In 30 states, your friends could be fired on the spot, just for being gay. While employment laws protect workers from discrimination on the basis of common biases like race, gender, and religion, the law is dangerously silent on the matter of sexual orientation and gender identity. That means my boss could fire me for answering a simple question about my personal life honestly. Your friend could get canned for having a photo of their spouse on their desk if a manager happens to not like gay people. You could be passed over for a job in the first instance, just because the recruiter thought you were gay.
There’s no Federal law in place to protect gay and trans workers, so here’s what the legal landscape looks like at a glance on the state-wide level:
The Freedom Index: Freedom to Work
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