Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents

A must read on the failure of ENDA

Sue — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 18:52:49 -0400

Dr. Jillian Weiss is someone I admire greatly. I've been in touch with her for months, trying my best to contribute to the passage of the Employment Non Discrimination Act on the federal level. I was part of the ground troops getting commitments from our local electeds and I've written about it quite a bit.

So it is sad to realize that it won't happen. Coming on the heels of the Dyke and Trans March, two groups disproportionately impacted be economic issues, its particularly disheartening. Jillian has some insight as to what has gone so wrong.

Gay Inc. made a decision in the early 2000's to move away from targeting traditional civil rights movement discrimination, and concentrate almost exclusively on marriage equality via the "good as you" theme. I believe the thinking was that the campaign for marriage equality would drag the rest along in its wake.

That agenda came from our advocacy leaders, who live in an environment insulated from most LGBT people in terms of economics, education and culture. But most LGBT people are also not necessarily prepared to do such analysis in understanding why their advocacy leaders would push them into marriage equality as the number one issue.

Discrimination was moved way down the list in the hierarchy. It was never abandoned, but it limped along.

Marriage equality as a lead issue has proved largely a bust, having been stripped away from Americans in 31 states, in every single state in which it has been placed on the ballot. It has been quietly rotated out for a while, while we lick our wounds and regroup. But the philosophy behind it, the "good as you" philosophy, has not changed.

ENDA, and other non-discrimination measures do not fit with the world-view of "good as you." It requires making the argument that we are victims of oppression, and require liberation, something which I think most gay leaders do not feel.

You really need to read the whole thing to grasp the magnitude of the analysis. It reminds me of Senator Daylin Leach's decision to move ahead with marriage legislation when a group of us practically begged him to take up the Senate version of HB 300. He was not interested because his people out east thought marriage was the better issue. That was just sad.

Gay Inc has taken some hits, especially from the grassroots groups across the nation. Where Pittsburgh falls in this regard is open to debate. A lot of power and influence is vested in a few hands, but I don't see the grassroots folks agitating for access. The divide is wide. That leaves a lot of room for continued misunderstanding and failure to coalesce.

I strongly encourage you to read Jillian's piece. We need to wrestle with these issues locally. And if the House does take action, we need to pay close attention to Jason Altmire.

Fayette County prison guard gender stereotyping suit settled

Sue — Tue, 04 May 2010 22:17:05 -0400

We first discussed this back in December 2009 when the Tribune Review reported on a federal lawsuit filed by a state prison guard in Fayette County. He claimed he was being harassed because he did not conform to gender expectations, including being too effeminate on the radio. (What does that even mean, asks the female former radio host?)

The suit has been settled by mediation. No one is talking about what that actually means, but it doesn't mean a court ruling on the matter.

This man is a state employee who enjoys no state protections from being harassed on his sexual orientation or perceived sexual orientation (remember, gay men act like women and acting like a woman is bad). He worked in Fayette County which does not have county protections for sexual orientation.

He was harassed because people thought he was gay. He had to go to the federal courts to get help. We don't know if he is gay.

This could be you. You could be the woman who dresses in trousers and has manly gestures. You could be the man with the effeminate voice. You could be a heterosexual person who is perceived as gay. And you could be fired.

Support ENDA and HB 300. It is about our jobs.

North Side man alleges workplace gay bashing

Sue — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 08:04:42 -0400

Good for Thomas Hutter for stepping forward and standing up to discrimination and harassment.

A North Side man says he was forced to quit his job at a Neville Island company because his boss kept taunting him for being gay.

Thomas Hutter, 29, said Gabriel Tamilia, his supervisor at All American Grating, repeatedly harassed him because of his sexual orientation from 2006 to 2010, forcing him to take medical leave and ultimately not return to his job designing the company's website and developing marketing strategy.

Mr. Hutter and his lawyer, Stephen Pincus, filed an affidavit Thursday with the Allegheny County Human Relations Commission, which was created last year to promote better workplace relations and investigate complaints of discrimination based on sexual orientation.

It takes courage to file a complaint, much less go public with your story. Everyone who worked to pass this ordinance should feel good that your work paid off for Mr. Hutter and others.

This also reinforces the need to keep working for similar protections across Pennsylvania (HB 300) and the nation (ENDA).

I urge you to click through and read the whole story. Sad experiences.

sdf

ENDA Blogswarm: Protect Our Jobs

Sue — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 11:22:21 -0400

Bilerico has asked bloggers to "swarm" around ENDA, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. House Speaker Pelosi is holding up this legislation which would provide employment protections based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.

Why We Need To Demand ENDA Now

We know that Speaker Pelosi is sympathetic to our cause. Clearly, she needs encouragement, because she won't commit to giving the signal to move forward. Meanwhile, LGBT Americans continue to suffer discrimination and harassment with no recourse. Why should we accept mere lip service?

President Obama famously said that "Power concedes nothing without a fight."

The tide in the LGBT community is moving toward standing up against Democrats who are tepid on our issues and show no willingness to demonstrate leadership to protect minorities which is a hallmark of the Democratic party. Right? Hence my ongoing frustration with Chief Executive Dan Onorato, but let's not go there. As Dr. Jillian Weiss, the leader on ENDA, has remarked "If the base stays home in November, Speaker Pelosi will be out of job." We are a force to reckoned with and to accomplish that we need you to take action on ENDA with as much enthuasiam as you showed on the Marriage Amendment this week.

Won't it be nice to be pushing FOR rights instead of AGAINST losing them?

It is legal for you to be fired if you are gay unless you live in a municipality that protects you. It took until 2009 for Allegheny County to make that move. If you work in Cranberry, you are screwed. People across this nation lack this basic protection that should be a national standard. How many of you have to "be discrete" at work about your partner? It is exhausting and it erodes your ability to form natural bonds with your team if you have to censor yourself all the time. It is also demoralizing that people can be fired for the perception that they are gay.

I once had a coworker get away with bashing me for being gay. She complained about my "bringing that" into the workplace when I made an innocent comment referencing my partner. I was pooh-poohed by management which I have never forgotten. A few years later, a senior manager sent around an email with a vulgar, demeaning reference to lesbians. I filed a complaint and was not pooh-poohed, but I know damn well that filing complaints impacts your employment in subtle ways. I was fortunate enough to have the Ciy's non-discrimination ordinance to back up my complaint. My job was not in jeopardy, but my ability to move up was probably dampened. Standing up to discrimination at work is very difficult and draining.

We need our leaders to champion safe workplaces for LGBTQ persons. Enough with the capitulation and the hesitancy. This is about doing what's right for people who are suffering at the hands of bigots.

Please call Speaker Nancy Pelosi at 202-225-4965. Ask that the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, HR 3017, move to a vote.

Please be polite, but firm.

After you call, please tell us how the call went by clicking here. If you get a busy signal or hang up, let us know that too.

If you want more information on Speaker Pelosi's position on ENDA as stated by her office, you can find it here

Let's work together to let Speaker Pelosi know that we want action now!

At the end of the day, we will post a round-up of how the day went. Stay tuned.

Ohio: Gay Rights Trump Religious Freedom

Sue — Tue, 02 May 2006 18:51:23 -0400

Words I thought might never cross my lips ... Hurrah for Ohio!

The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that public employees can be disciplined for discrimination even if they are following religious beliefs. This is a big victory for gay rights advocates because it gives teeth to workplace non-discrimination policies.

The case involves a Baptist prison chaplain, William Akridge, who refused to allow homosexual prisoners serve as leaders at his non-denominational events.

Akridge, however, interpreted scriptures to say he would be punished if he complied. "The leaders that the chaplain selects implicitly implies an endorsement and approval of the lifestyle of the selected leaders," Akridge explained. He added that a gay choir director "would violate my conscience and make me guilty in the sight of God."

Akridge was disciplined for discriminating and sued, claiming his right to discriminate was constitutionally protected because it was Christian-based.

The court thought otherwise, noting:

Although it may be that Akridge could have disbanded the choir and/or praise band entirely, the facts appear to be that he did not do so; rather he openly and intentionally excluded an inmate from such groups," the appeals court said.

"Even if the ODRC [Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction] had no interest in the existence of the band, this would not vitiate its interest in preventing discrimination and its consequences."

Hurrah for Ohio!

Speaking as an openly gay woman, I can testify that it is very troubling at work when I encounter the attitude that gay-hate must be tolerated as an outgrowth of Christian beliefs. And I encounter that attitude much more frequently than I ever imagined.

Thus, I am heartened to learn that the courts are upholding non-discrimination protections in the workplace. Especially in lands of anti-gay marriage constitutional amendments.

Hurrah for Ohio!

(cross-posted on Big Gay Picture)

(hat tip to GayNews@yahoogroups.com)

Russian Christians Partner with Skinheads on Gay Rights

Sue — Mon, 01 May 2006 12:52:29 -0400

Here's a sad fact: Russian Orthdox Catholics are working in unity with
skinheads to oppose gay rights.

On Sunday
police had to hold back a crowd of bottle-tossing skinheads and Bible-
clutching church folks who were protesting a gay event at a local club.

Not to be outdone by the Christian-Skinhead connection, Russian Muslims are
threatening to kill gays if they proceed with plans to celebrate Pride.

PrideFest is scheduled for May 26 and 27 in Moscow. If the city bans the
event, organizers plan to take the matter to the European Court of Human
Rights.

Sounds like a crowd where Fred Phelps would feel right at home.