Tag: LGBT

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Sec. Hillary Clinton: major speech on Int’l LGBT rights

In recognition of Human Rights Day, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton gave a major human rights policy speech – speaking greatly on LGBT international rights – today at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in Geneva at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.

Some quotes from the speech:

– “Like being a woman, like being a racial religious tribal or ethnic minority, being LGBT does not make you less human. And that is why gay rights are Human Rights and Human Rights are gay rights.”

– “Some believe homosexuality is a Western phenomenon… but gay people belong to every society in the world…. Being gay is not a Western invention, it is a human reality.”

– “Costs are incurred whenever any group is treated as lesser or the other whether they are women, racial or religious minorities or the LGBT.”

– “No practice or tradition trumps the human rights that belong to all of us, and this holds true for inflicting violence on LGBT people.”

– “Human rights are universal and cut across all religions and cultures.”

– “While we are each free to believe whatever we choose, we cannot DO whatever we choose, not… where we protect the human rights of all.”

– “Leadership, by definition, means being out in front of your people… standing up for the dignity of all.”

– “It should never be a crime to be gay.”

– “To LGBT men and women worldwide: Wherever you live and whatever your circumstances… please know that you are not alone.”

– “Those who advocate for expanding the circle of human rights were and are on the right side of history, and history honors them… We are called once more to make real the words of the universal declaration. Let us be on the right side of history.”

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Obama issues directive to protect International LGBT rights

President Obama today issued a memorandum “directing all agencies engaged abroad to ensure that U.S. diplomacy and foreign assistance promote and protect the human rights of LGBT persons.”

Among the steps required by the memorandum are efforts to fight the criminalization of LGBT status or conduct, as well as to support the protection of LGBT refugees and asylum seekers.

Obama’s memorandum requires the Department of State to “lead a standing group, with appropriate interagency representation, to help ensure the Federal Government’s swift and meaningful response to serious incidents that threaten the human rights of LGBT persons abroad.”

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton spoke today in Geneva about the issue. The State Department details that Clinton’s address is a part of Human Rights Day, which it notes “recognizes the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10, 1948 by the United Nations General Assembly.

The Declaration outlines the inalienable rights of all people and has since served as the benchmark for the extension and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms.”
(via Metroweekly)

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House, Senate lawmakers introduce federal domestic partner benefits bill

U.S. Senators Joseph Lieberman and Susan Collins on Friday reintroduced the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act, and said that approving the bill would put the federal government on par with Fortune 500 corporations that already extend full benefits to same-sex partners of gay and lesbian employees.

The companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives was introduced by Reps. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.).

Under the bill, a federal employee and same-sex domestic partner, who are not related by blood and are living together in a committed intimate relationship, would be eligible to participate in federal retirement, life insurance, health, workers’ compensation, and Family and Medical Leave benefits to the same extent as married employees and their spouses.

More at LGBTQnation

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Nevada’s Big Give – 24 Hours of nonprofit support for LGBT Community Center

On 11-17-11, Nevada will come together for Nevada’s Big Give to benefit the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Southern Nevada.

It’s 24 hours of unprecedented nonprofit giving — and it’s your chance make a real difference, right here in our community.

The Center’s purpose is to support and promote the well-being, positive image, and human rights of our LGBT community in Southern Nevada.

Click here to make a difference.

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Same-sex couples lift property values

As Bloomberg is reporting, a new study has revealed an economic benefit to those who support gay marriage and other lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community causes, as the presence of same-sex couples may actually lift property values in neighborhoods.

The economics professors, who studied home values in 2000 in and around Columbus, Ohio, concluded that an increase in the number of same-sex couples by one in 1,000 households is associated with a 1.1 percent price premium in enclaves that backed gay marriage. The same influx in areas that didn’t support same-sex marriage was linked to a 1 percent discount.

Ummm… duh.

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American Airlines welcomes Out & Equal Summit to DFW

Today, as a Titanium Sponsor of the event, American Airlines welcomed the world’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) professional conference, the 2011 Out & Equal Workplace Summit. Organizers of the Summit report they will host more than 2,500 business leaders from more than 26 nations and more than 250 major corporations.

American Airlines partners frequently with diverse multicultural organizations and business gatherings including the LGBT community. The company has consistently earned a 100 percent score on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index

American Airlines is also pleased to formally announce that 2011 will be the first year to include employee health benefit enhancements for gender reassignment procedures, as well as ensuring that same-sex domestic partners are included under Family and Medical Leaves of Absence.
Via press release

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Las Vegas targeting LGBT tourism dollars

Very interesting article in Vegas Inc. Magazine about marketing Las Vegas to the LGBT tourism market.

According to the article, gay and lesbian tourists are becoming more and more savvy about where to spend their dollars.

And with information like the HRC’s Equality Index available via the internet on any smart phone, gay and lesbian tourists are doing their homework in deciding what Las Vegas destinations will get their business.

They can’t legally marry here. Many don’t feel comfortable walking hand-in-hand down the alcohol – powered Las Vegas Strip on a busy evening. But they have spending power — lots of it — and with the liberalization of attitudes toward gay individuals, Las Vegas travel marketers have become increasingly aggressive and nuanced in their outreach to the segment.

It’s no longer enough for marketers to simply slap a politically correct multi-colored rainbow flag on print and video ads while their own companies discriminate against their LGBT employees, denying them pay and benefits on a par with their straight counterparts.

“We have options. We don’t have to spend our money where we’re mistreated,” said David, a 45-year-old researcher from the Midwest, who despite the evolving era of enlightenment on gay issues, was too skittish to share his last name. “Zero is an embarrassing score for any company in today’s business world. Why would I spend my money with someone who doesn’t respect who I am?”

Read more at Vegas Inc Magazine.

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Americans estimate 25% of Americans are gay

Click image for larger view

U.S. adults, on average, estimate that 25% of Americans are gay or lesbian. More specifically, over half of Americans (52%) estimate that at least one in five Americans are gay or lesbian, including 35% who estimate that more than one in four are. Thirty percent put the figure at less than 15%.

Americans with lower incomes and less education give the highest estimates, on average, of the U.S. gay and lesbian population, and far higher estimates than those with higher incomes and more education. Americans aged 18 to 29 give a higher average estimate than older Americans, and women give a far higher average estimate than men.

Democrats, liberals, and those who say they are socially liberal are also more likely to give higher estimates than those at the other end of the spectrum. However, the differences by political or ideological leanings are in most cases not as wide as those seen by demographic group.

Read more from Gallup

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NV legislature passes important anti-discrimination bills

(via HRC) Yesterday, members of the Nevada State Assembly took a final vote on AB 211, a bill codifying prohibitions against discrimination in employment on the basis of gender identity or expression. The bill had already passed in the State Senate. The bill now moves to the desk of Governor Brian Sandoval for his consideration.

If signed into law, Nevada would become the 14th U.S. state, along with the District of Columbia, to provide protections based on gender identity or expression.

“The Nevada legislature has rightly recognized that everyone should be treated equally in the workplace, and Governor Sandoval should sign this bipartisan measure into law,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese. “Being free from discrimination based on gender identity or expression, judged solely on your merits and quality of work, is the most common-sense approach to employment policies.”

“Today is a great day for all residents of Nevada,” said Josh Miller, a member of the HRC Board of Directors from Nevada. “Providing employment protections based on gender identity or expression is a victory for civil rights, and we urge Gov. Sandoval to sign this legislation. The people of our state should be judged on the quality of work they do and not on who they are.”

In other Nevada news, the Senate has approved SB 331 and 368, bills that expand the state’s anti-discrimination laws in the areas of public accommodations and housing, respectively. SB 331 protects against discrimination in public accommodations on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, while SB 368 adds gender identity to Nevada’s housing anti-discrimination law.

Whoo-hoo Nevada!