Equality Matters Weekly Podcast: February 27-March 2
Equality Matters campaigns for full LGBT equality.
Help the One Anchorage Initiative
The One Anchorage Initiative simply provides to gay and transgender Alaskans the same legal protections that are already provided to other persons in Anchorage in employment, financial practices, housing, and restaurants, department stores and other businesses.
For over 30 years Anchorage Municipal Code, Title 5, Equal Rights, has ensured equality for Alaskans who live, work and shop in Anchorage. It provides legal protections on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, marital status, age, or physical or mental disability.
Today, most – but not all – hardworking Alaskans are protected from being unfairly fired. For example, no one can be fired from a job solely because they are married or single. It is illegal to refuse to interview a job applicant because the business owner doesn’t like Christians, Jews or Muslims. You can’t be denied service in a restaurant because you’re African-American, Asian, from South America or Alaska Native. You can’t be turned down for a credit card or bank loan because you’re sight or hearing impaired.
However, these legal protections that most of us rely on everyday do NOT protect gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender workers. Right now in Anchorage NO STATE OR LOCAL LAWS OF ANY KIND protect people from being unfairly fired or refused an interview because of being gay, transgender or straight.
In Anchorage, a woman can be fired solely because her employer believes she is a lesbian – for reasons having nothing to do with her job performance.
One Anchorage believes – as did the founders of the Municipality of Anchorage – that fair and equal treatment for ALL by our city’s laws is the best policy.
Find out how you can help at OneAnchorage.com
TV: The Loving Story
Filmmaker Nancy Buirski uses never-before-seen footage, photos, and present day interview to create an utterly fascinating, bittersweet documentary about Mildred and Richard Loving, a mixed-race couple who were legally married in Washington D.C. in 1958 but were arrested in their home state of Virginia and convicted of the felony crime of miscegenation.
The parallels between the landmark 1967 Supreme Court case Loving v. Virginia and the fight for marriage equality today are undeniable. Forced to flee their home state of Virginia and live in exile in Washington, D.C . — or risk being arrested again for having violated the state’s Racial Integrity Act of 1924 — Mildred and Richard Loving, a mixed-race couple, took the only route they could find to get back home: through the courts.
Buirski leaves it to viewers to draw parallels to today’s battle to legalize gay marriage in the U.S., but they’re unmistakable.
“The Loving Story” premieres on HBO February 14.
George Clooney speaks to gay rights after Golden Globe win
After accepting his Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama for his performance in The Descendants, George Clooney answered questions from journalists gathered backstage.
One asked the actor, who’ll soon star in a one-night only reading of Dustin Lance Black’s play 8 as Prop. 8 attorney David Boies, his opinion of Mitt Romney and his antigay record. Let’s go to the video tape!
Happy MLK Day!
Any questions?
So simple. Love this!
GOP congressman Eric Cantor’s wife supports same-sex marriage
Haters try last ditch effort to stop civil unions in Hawaii
U.S. District Judge Michael Seabright denied this afternoon a request by two churches for a restraining order to block a law that goes into effect Sunday permitting same-sex couples to enter civil unions.
Joshua Wisch, spokesman for the attorney general’s office, said as a result of the ruling, the civil unions law will “go into effect as planned on Jan. 1, 2012.”
The Emmanuel Temple and the Lighthouse Outreach Center Assembly of God asked for the order.
They argued that although they will be exempt from performing same-sex civil unions, they would face civil penalties and fines if they refused to rent their property for same-sex civil unions.
In a 17-page opinion, Seabright ruled that the churches have not shown they are entitled to the restraining order.
Fifty-nine percent of Virginians support legal recognition for same-sex couples
A new Public Policy Polling poll shows that 59 percent of Virginians support legal recognition for same-sex couples in the form of civil unions.
A majority, though, is still opposed to full marriage equality, with 54 percent saying same-sex marriage should be illegal.
Top 10 moments in 2011 for LGBT rights
From Thomas Roberts on MSNBC. I love how Thomas’ voice gets more and more excited as he lists the progress made this year on behalf of the LGBT community.
Yes – “it does get better.”
Forward.
Utah favors legal protection for LGBTQ individuals in employment, housing
A recent poll commissioned by Equality Utah — a Salt Lake-based civil rights organization focusing on equal rights and protections for LGBT Utahns and their families — found that a majority of those polled favored a statewide non-discrimination law that would make it illegal for someone to be fired from a job solely because they are LGBT.
Additionally, those same persons polled also favored a Utah-wide law that would make it illegal for someone to be evicted from housing solely because they are LGBT.
However, those polled also indicated that they did not support same-sex marriage equality nor did they approve of adoption rights for same-sex couples.
The poll was conducted by the Salt Lake City based public opinion and market research firm Dan Jones and Associates. The survey polled 801 households across the state and contained a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percent.
According to the firm, the poll found that nearly 80 percent of respondents believed such statewide nondiscrimination laws already existed in Utah.
The poll also revealed that 54 percent of respondents believe that being gay is probably or definitely a choice.
Of those polled:
- 73% somewhat or strongly favor a statewide nondiscrimination law in employment
- 73% somewhat or strongly favor a statewide nondiscrimination law in housing (More than 80% of respondents believed such laws already existed in Utah.)
- 55% somewhat or strongly oppose gay or transgender couples becoming foster parents
- 52% oppose gay or transgender couples adopting children to whom they have no relationship
- 64% somewhat or strongly favor allowing legally recognized forms of partnerships, short of marriage
- 5% somewhat or strongly oppose allowing gay and transgender couples to marry in Utah
- 57% somewhat or strongly oppose Utah recognizing marriages of gay and transgender couples who move here
- 54% believe that being gay is probably or definitely a choice
(via LGBTQnation)