California bans ‘reparation therapy’ for LGBT minors

in: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/09/30/california-bans-reparation-therapy-for-lgbt-minors/

 
 
 

   
    California bans ‘reparation therapy’ for LGBT minors (via Raw Story )
   

       California Governor Jerry Brown signed a law late Saturday night banning therapy used to change the sexual orientation of LGBT children and teenagers. “This bill bans non-scientific ‘therapies’ that have driven young people to depression and suicide,” Brown said in a statement. “These practices…
   

 

 

LGBT advocate Chaz Bono in Studio Q

in: http://www.cbc.ca/player/Radio/Q/Q+on+CBC-TV/ID/2283804178/

Author and activist, born of Sonny and Cher, Chaz Bono is one of the highest profile transgender individuals in our culture today. He joins Jian in Studio Q to talk about transgender issues and the media, as well as his appearance on Degrassi.

 

The French Church refuses homophobia

via: http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/

The Catholic Church in France has stated its objection to homophobia and issued a statement saying it is willing to listen to the demands of the gay community with a view to opening a real debate on a draft law concerning same-sex marriage, daily Le Figaro has reported.

"The church wants to welcome gay people and will continue to contribute to the fight against all forms of homophobia and discrimination,” the Conference of Bishops of France’s Family and Society Council said in a statement that was released Sept. 27.

Signed by 12 members of the council, the text seeks to deepen all dimensions of the problem in order to achieve a solution to the issue. The bishops have demanded recognition of homosexual people without attacking the anthropological foundations of society. "An evolution of family law is always possible,” the statement said.

The text, which has been described as a "working paper" by the spokesman of the episcopate, Bishop Bernard Podvin, was released on the church’s website without any official announcement to present or disseminate the story, according to Le Figaro.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/

"No to homohobia" ads to air in Australia

Visit: http://www.notohomophobia.com.au

In an Australian-first, a new public campaign will combine TV ads, social media, online support resources and moving personal stories from people who have experienced harassment to challenge every single member of the community to say no to homophobia, transphobia and biphobia.

Two television ads, to be broadcast nationally over the next year, depict the most common everyday situations where people face harassment -- at school, in sports, at work and in public spaces like cafes and on the street. They show people experiencing harassment and witnesses taking action to put a stop to the offensive behaviour. TV ads focusing on homophobic harassment have never been shown in Australia.

An online resource at http://www.notohomophobia.com.au/ helps people get informed, find support and take action by hosting all the relevant information, resources and contacts in one place.

Spokesperson Anna Brown said "Everyone agrees there is no place for racism or sexism in modern Australia. Homophobia, biphobia and transphobia are no different. Homophobic harassment is never acceptable and often unlawful. We need to stop harassment and the harm it causes to our friends, family members and neighbours."

Fans say homophobia a bigger problem than racism: report

via: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/sports/09/19/12/fans-say-homophobia-bigger-problem-racism-report

Homophobia may now be a bigger problem in British football than racism, a report published by the government said on Wednesday.

The study, undertaken by a cross-party parliamentary committee, found that while anti-racism schemes had proved successful, fans were becoming increasingly aware of homophobic chants at grounds.

"Evidence is now emerging that homophobia may now be a bigger problem in football than other forms of discrimination," the report said. "Recent research found that 25 percent of fans think that football is homophobic while 10 percent think that football is racist."

It added that 14 percent of match attendees questioned had reported hearing homophobic abuse.

"The FA should work with relevant organisations and charities to develop and then promote a high-profile campaign to highlight the damaging effect of homophobic language and behaviour in and around football at every level," the report concluded.

"The campaign should identify sources of support for affected individuals as well as setting out a clear reporting structure for homophobic incidents."

Justin Fashanu is the only British top flight player to have announced during his professional career that he was homosexual. He committed suicide in 1998, aged 37.

John Terry case

The wide-ranging report by the Department for Culture Media and Sport committee, said that while the atmosphere inside British football grounds had improved since the 1970 and 1980s, becoming more family-friendly, significant problems remained.

Two high-profile on-field cases brought racism back under the spotlight.

Chelsea captain John Terry was cleared in court of racially abusing Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand in July while last season Liverpool's Luis Suarez was banned for eight matches by the FA for comments made to Manchester United's French defender Patrice Evra.

Terry could yet be charged by the Football Association.

Conservative parliamentarian John Whittingdale, chairman of the committee, said: "Much has been done to improve the atmosphere and behaviour at football matches and it has become a much more family friendly activity.

"However, recent incidents of racist abuse in the UK, both on and off the pitch, have highlighted the fact that there remain significant problems."

"While the general level of progress in combating racism and racist abuse in the UK is positive and should be applauded, there is much more that can and must be done, and we believe it is for the FA to take the lead and set the example for everyone, from football authorities at all levels to the grassroots groups, to follow," he added.

The report said the rise of social media and soccer chat rooms had become a new platform for discrimination.

"We heard evidence that social media has become a tool for the spread of racist and abusive content but it is also a potential means of combating the ignorance and prejudice that lie behind such behaviour," Whittingdale said.

The report also said more needed to be done to increase the number of black and Asian coaches and officials.

Norwich City's Chris Hughton is the only black manager in the Premier League while match officials are generally white.

"There is a clear need to encourage more candidates from ethnic minorities to train as coaches and referees to ensure that clubs and boards can select from a more diverse pool of recruits from within the football pyramid," the report stated. (Reporting by Martyn Herman, editing by Alan Baldwin)

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/sports/09/19/12/fans-say-homophobia-bigger-problem-racism-report

Transgender Third-Grader Will Be Allowed to Use Girls' Bathroom

via: http://www.advocate.com/politics/transgender/2012/09/26/trans-third-grader-will-be-allowed-use-bathroom-girls

A transgender third-grader in New Hampshire will be allowed to wear clothing and use the bathroom that corresponds with her gender identity while at school, according to CBS Boston. The agreement, reached between the girl's parents and the Nashua County school district after the girl changed schools within the district, is a hopeful bright spot in a news landscape often littered with stories of trans and gender-nonconforming youth being bullied, harassed, and denied their identity by classmates, teachers, and school administrators.

Janson Wu, an attorney with Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders who represented the New Hampshire student, told the CBS affiliate that schools need to have policies in place to protect transgender and gender-variant youth, in addition to comprehensive antibullying policies.

"I think as the environments become more and more welcoming to transgender and gender-variant youth, we're going to see a lot more students coming out," Wu told CBS. "And that's something that schools and parents will need to be prepared to deal with. Children often have difficulty having schools respect them for who they believe they are. If a transgender girl wants to be able to wear feminine clothes to school and be addressed as a girl, oftentimes we see schools feeling a fair amount of discomfort around that."

While school administrators would not speak on the record about the incident or any concurring legal challenges, Nashua superintendent Mark Conrad told the Union Leader that the district "[doesn't] have a specific policy on transgender students, but we do have policies in place that prevent discrimination against students and bullying, and we regularly review those policies."

http://www.advocate.com/politics/transgender/2012/09/26/trans-third-grader-will-be-allowed-use-bathroom-girls

Homophobia is still rife in UK prisons

via: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/sep/25/homophobia-rife-uk-prisons

Attitudes have changed, but a 'macho culture' can still prevent staff helping victims of homophobic abuse in prison. Photograph: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

Despite moves in recent years towards eradicating discrimination against prisoners on the grounds of race or religion, the challenges facing gay men in prison have still not been addressed sufficiently by the prison service.

A letter in this month's edition of Inside Time, the national newspaper for prisoners, highlights their plight. "I am gay and very 'camp' and due to my sexual orientation I have received abuse from other inmates," writes the prisoner. He explains that when the abuse turned to threats of violence he was granted "VP status", meaning he is now classified as a vulnerable prisoner and located on the vulnerable prisoner unit.

Since becoming a VP he has lost his job in the prison education block, is allowed only one morning session of basic education each day and spends the rest of his time in his cell. "I think the way we are treated compared to 'normal' prisoners is completely unfair and unjustified," he concludes.

At any one time, it is statistically likely that there will be around 8,000 gay prisoners in the UK, yet homophobic attitudes still abound on wings and landings. As a long-term prisoner, I witnessed the predicament of those identified as being gay. Force of personality enabled some individuals to cope better than others, but in the main the norm was derision and abuse. Many were pressured to engage in sexual acts, often by their deriding antagonists or, worse, suffered serious sexual assaults, which, it was clear to me, went largely unreported to or by the authorities.

Prison rules strictly forbid sexual activity between prisoners, yet every male prison in the country has a "condom policy". Steve Jones, Terrence Higgins Trust's national director for Wales, visits a number of prisons in the south-west to support gay, bisexual and transsexual prisoners.

"There has been a shift in attitude from some of the more enlightened staff, especially those responsible for equality," he says, "but the exaggerated macho culture precludes many of the staff engaging willingly and openly with this issue to actually support gay and bisexual prisoners who want or need that additional support."

According to Jones, any advice and guidance available to gay prisoners is derisory. "Generally, the guidance would be: 'You must try and protect yourself, or keep it quiet'. If you are targeted because of your sexuality and are forced to be segregated, we have to ask: would that be tolerated if it was in relation to race or religion?"

Even the so-called condom policy is geared to traduce human dignity. "If a prisoner wants to practise safe sex he can ask at the wing office or at the healthcare centre for a condom," says Jones. "One will then be prescribed at the medicine hatch. Some prisons also demand the return of the used condom. We would like to see condoms readily available at the prison shop."

A prison service spokesman says it "does not condone or facilitate sexual relationships between prisoners. Prison doctors can make condoms, dental dams and water-based lubricants available to any prisoner, irrespective of age, if in their clinical judgment, there is a risk of the transmission of HIV or any other sexually transmitted disease."

He adds: "Discrimination, harassment and bullying will not be tolerated in any form, and swift and appropriate action will be taken to address any reports of victimisation."

The evidence, however, is that there is a significant gap between policy and practice. Robust national mechanisms to ensure the safety and equality of gay men in prison need to be introduced as a matter of urgency.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/sep/25/homophobia-rife-uk-prisons

Homophobia in football: Can Germany kick its last taboo into touch?

via: http://www.independent.co.uk/

The world of German football has been rocked by a taboo-breaking interview given by an anonymous gay player who has complained of widespread prejudice against homosexual team members in the top division of the game.

The disturbing charges against the Bundesliga were made by an evidently frightened player, who reportedly had to be given "hundreds" of assurances that his name would not be revealed before he finally agreed to be interviewed. Speaking to the online edition of the respected youth magazine Fluter last week, the player said: "I pay a high price for living my dream of playing in the Bundesliga. I have to put on a show and deny my true identity every day."

The player claimed that he had been forced to give up his relationship with his gay partner because of the overwhelming pressures to appear straight. He said there were several homosexual Bundesliga team members and all of them had been forced to abandon their partners and were concealing their true sexual identity. "I was once in a relationship, in fact. But you can imagine that months of playing this hiding game is pure poison for a couple," he said. "At some point I had to make a decision. Of course, success playing football was great – but there was a price to pay."

The journalist behind the interview, Adrian Bechtold, said it had taken him almost a year to persuade the player to agree to be interviewed. The anonymous team member concluded: "It is my hope that we can speak again in a year and that I can then attach a name to what I say."

The revelations, which are thought to be genuine, have shocked the German football world. They have also exposed an attitude that seems to be prevalent at the top of the game, namely that encouraging tolerance of homosexuality attracts unwanted attention and deters sponsors. For a majority of players, coaches and officials the subject remains taboo.

Commentators have pointed out that although the Bundesliga, in light of the anonymous player's revelations, still appears to a bastion of intolerance towards gays, the rest of the country is renowned for its near total acceptance of homosexuality. "Germany's Foreign Minister [Guido Westerwelle] is gay and so is the Mayor of Berlin, but gay players in the Bundesliga remain firmly in the closet," remarked Der Spiegel magazine.

Der Spiegel noted that while German football has many players with immigrant backgrounds – for example, Mesut Özil, who plays for the Spanish club Real Madrid and the German national team, is the son of second-generation Turkish immigrants – there are still officially no gay players in the national team or the Bundesliga. The allegations made in the interview appear to have wounded not only Germany's football establishment but its Chancellor.

Eighteen Bundesliga teams wore jerseys bearing the slogan "Go Your Own Way" during football matches last weekend in an attempt to shake off the stigma of intolerance.

And at a Bundesliga press conference last week, Chancellor Angela Merkel stressed that in Germany players should not "be afraid" to come out. "That's my political message," she said. She was joined at the same press conference by the former German national player and Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness. He insisted that all clubs in the league had been encouraged to support gays who wanted to come out. He said that if a Bayern Munich player wanted to come out "it would be no problem as far as I am concerned". Marcus Urban, one of the very few lower league players to have come out, welcomed the anonymous interview but said it was only a step towards the normalisation of homosexuality in professional football. "It is a preparation for real outings," he said.

Mr Urban, who publicly acknowledged his homosexuality only after leaving his second division team Rot-Weiss Erfurt in the 1990s, said he used to try to hide being gay by playing "especially aggressively".

He blamed the German Football Association for not taking the issue seriously enough.

http://www.independent.co.uk/

Census: Here come the brides: Same-sex marriages soar in Canada

via: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/

Kevin Bourassa (L) and his partner Joe Varnell are congratulated by Reverend Brent Hawkes (R) during their wedding ceremony in a Toronto church January 14, 2001. The men were one of two gay couples married in a ceremony at Toronto's Metropolitan Community Church. Both couples were issued marriage licenses believed to be first ever in Canada. The Ontario Provincial government has vowed not to register the marriages. REUTERS/Andy Clark

Seven years after Canada legalized same-sex marriage, gay and lesbian couples are running to the altar.

Between 2006 and 2011, the number of same-sex married couples nearly tripled, according to new census data released Wednesday.

While the number of opposite-sex couples who took the leap into matrimony grew by only three per cent since the last census, the number of same-sex couples tying the knot jumped by 181 per cent over the same period, from about 7,500 in 2006 to 21,000 in 2011.

Same-sex unions make up only 0.8 per cent of all couples of Canada, but they are the fastest-growing group of married couples, up 42 per cent from 2006.

The 2006 census followed on the heels of Canada’s Civil Marriage Act, which legalized same-sex marriage across the country in July 2005. Some provincial and territorial courts had already ruled that banning same-sex marriage was unconstitutional, beginning with Ontario and British Columbia in 2003. This may explain the higher number of same-sex marriages in those two provinces as of 2011 — 8,370 in Ontario, and 3,445 in B.C. — along with Quebec, with 3,655 couples.

In 2006, only 16 per cent of same-sex couples had married. By 2011, the share had jumped to 32 per cent.

Canada’s biggest cities boasted the highest numbers of same-sex couples with 45 per cent living in Toronto (19 per cent), Montreal (16 per cent) or Vancouver (10 per cent).

While Ontario was home to, by far, the most married same-sex couples in both 2006 and 2011, the biggest jump in those five years was seen in Alberta. In 2006, only 510 Albertan same-sex couples had married, but by 2011, over 3,000 couples had exchanged vows, a five-fold increase, most of whom live in Calgary and Edmonton.

“It validates things,” said Marlow Lange, who married her longtime partner, Jill, in a traditional ceremony at the Art Gallery in Edmonton. “We knew we wanted a family and making it official was really important to us,” she said. The couple has a newborn son, Kade.

Same-sex couples — both married and common-law — were younger than opposite-sex couples. One quarter of same-sex couples were age 15 to 34 compared to 17 per cent of male-female relationships in the same age group. On the other end of the age spectrum, only six per cent of same-sex partners were 65 and over, compared to almost 18 per cent of opposite-sex couples.

Lange said that trend rings true in her experience. She said some of the couple’s friends who have been in committed same-sex relationships for many years didn’t opt to marry when the law changed in 2005. “To them, it wasn’t an option ever, so they just haven’t thought of it as something that they would do in their future – whereas for us, it’s always been there.”

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/

D.C. Launches First Ever Transgender Respect Ad Campaign

in: http://colorlines.com/archives/2012/09/dc_lauches_first_ever_transgender_respect_ads.html

(District of Columbia Office of Human Rights)

The District of Columbia Office of Human Rights (OHR) has launched a groundbreaking Transgender and Gender Identity Respect Campaign that advocates are calling the first government-funded campaign focused exclusively on the betterment of transgender and gender non-conforming people.

The five campaign ads feature actual community members, and will appear citywide on bus shelters in the fall and winter of 2012.

“This District is committed to ensuring that all people are protected from discrimination, and that includes discrimination against the transgender and gender-non-conforming communities,” said Mayor Vincent C. Gray in a statement. “This landmark campaign from the Office of Human Rights is an important piece of a larger effort by my administration to ensure all residents have equal access to employment, housing and public services and accommodations regardless of gender identity or expression.”

D.C. residents and visitors who see an ad are encouraged to photograph it and post to social media using the hashtag #TransRespect, in hopes the campaign’s mission expands beyond D.C. 

http://colorlines.com/archives/2012/09/dc_lauches_first_ever_transgender_respect_ads.html