#WhyWeFight: International Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia

Today is International Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia! The day is a part of the United Nations Free & Equal campaign for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality.  Per the UN:

The global movement for lesbian, gay, bi and trans (LGBT) equality encompasses millions of individuals, groups, organizations and campaigns all of whom are fighting for change in their own countries and communities.

To celebrate the International Day against Homophobia & Transphobia on 17 May 2016, we asked people to help us create a video that captures some of the strength and spirit that LGBT activists and allies bring to their work, and the sheer diversity of causes that help make up the movement globally. The result is a celebration of activism – and a reminder of why we fight.

Thanks to singer-songwriter Rachel Platten for lending her powerful “Fight Song” to serve as the soundtrack to this year’s video. Finally, special thanks to the many activists around the world who contributed time, energy and enthusiasm to the making of the video – and whose daily struggle against stigma and discrimination is the inspiration for this project. This fight song is dedicated to you!

The inspiring campaign also features videos from LGBT activists from around the world like singer Melissa Etheridge, NBA star Jason Collins and parents who have been affected by hate and homophobia in their own families. Today, the United Nations is using the hashtags #WhyWeFight and #IDAHOT to spread the word on social media and we hope you do the same!

Monday Meme: Sparkle

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Who doesn’t need a little sparkle and razzle dazzle on a Monday morning? And nobody did sparkle better than Liberace, born today in 1919. Liberace, or Lee as his friends called him, was one of the earliest and most flamboyant gay presences in media in the 1950’s. To protect his career however, Liberace denied his sexuality and hid his relationships from the press until his death in 1987. Liberace and his over the top image inspired other musicians like Elton John and Lady Gaga. Liberace may be remembered for the furs, jewel encrusted cars and piano shaped swimming pools but he was also a classically trained musician and an individual dedicated to helping other people. According to Wikipedia, “Worth over $110 million at the time of his death, Liberace bequeathed the bulk of his estate to his scholarship foundation.” And his sparkle continues to live on. In 2013, Liberace was portrayed by Michael Douglas in the acclaimed HBO movie Behind the Candelabra and the Liberace Garage, which houses some of the stars over the top vehicles as well as some costumes, opened last month.

Get a card for that person who makes your life sparkle here!

Italy Votes to Approve Same-Sex Civil Unions

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On May 11, the Italian Chamber of Deputies approved a civil unions bill which is a huge step towards marriage equality for the staunchly Catholic nation. The vote comes on the heels of months of heated debate, and the law was only passed after a provision for adoption was removed from the original bill.
“The approval of the civil union law is a milestone in the struggle toward legal recognition for same-sex-couples in Italy,” said Boris Dittrich, advocacy director in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights program at Human Rights Watch. “But restrictive adoption provisions for same-sex couples deny some children the legal protection and security they deserve.” According to the HRW, “Since 2010, a number of Italian courts have ruled that same-sex couples are entitled to partnership recognition, and major cities, including Rome and Milan, have allowed same-sex couples to symbolically register marriages conducted abroad. In July 2015, the European Court of Human Rights held that Italy violated the right to privacy and family life in failing to provide sufficient and reliable legal protection for same-sex relationships.” It should be noted that civil unions are not the same as same-sex marriage which is legal in the European Union member states of Belgium, Denmark, France, Ireland, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, excluding Northern Ireland.

“The Civil Union Act is a watered down version of a bill first introduced by Prime Minister Matteo Renzi’s Democratic Party in 2014. While opponents introduced thousands of amendments, the most controversial provision in the original bill would have given a partner in a same-sex couple the right to adopt their partner’s children. In February, the Senate approved a compromise text that removed this option, paving the way for the vote in the Chamber of Deputies. According to article 73 of the Italian Constitution, the President of the Republic needs to promulgate the law. It is expected he will do so,” the HRW writes.

While the Italian LGBT community celebrates this step forward, the adoption issue is an important one. Dittrich said “Italian politicians should ensure that the best interests of children are the primary consideration in all adoption proceedings. Lawmakers should revise Italy’s adoption legislation to allow unmarried couples in a civil union, irrespective of their gender, and individuals, to adopt children and to also allow stepchild adoption.”

VIDEO: Watch Loretta Lynch’s Historic Speech in Favor Transgender Rights

This week transgender activists, the LGBT community and fans of basic civil rights everywhere applauded the speech by Attorney General Loretta Lynch given in response to North Carolina’s “bathroom bill.” Lynch took to the podium in a press conference to denounce the bill, saying it violated civil federal rights. According to Lynch:

 The North Carolina General Assembly passed House Bill 2 in special session on March 23 of this year. The bill sought to strike down an anti-discrimination provision in a recently-passed Charlotte, North Carolina, ordinance, as well as to require transgender people in public agencies to use the bathrooms consistent with their sex as noted at birth, rather than the bathrooms that fit their gender identity. The bill was signed into law that same day. In so doing, the legislature and the governor placed North Carolina in direct opposition to federal laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex and gender identity. More to the point, they created state-sponsored discrimination against transgender individuals, who simply seek to engage in the most private of functions in a place of safety and security – a right taken for granted by most of us.

Last week, our Civil Rights Division notified state officials that House Bill 2 violates federal civil rights laws. We asked that they certify by the end of the day today that they would not comply with or implement House Bill 2’s restriction on restroom access. An extension was requested by North Carolina and was under active consideration. But instead of replying to our offer or providing a certification, this morning, the state of North Carolina and its governor chose to respond by suing the Department of Justice. As a result of their decisions, we are now moving forward.

Today, we are filing a federal civil rights lawsuit against the state of North Carolina, Governor Pat McCrory, the North Carolina Department of Public Safety and the University of North Carolina. We are seeking a court order declaring House Bill 2’s restroom restriction impermissibly discriminatory, as well as a statewide bar on its enforcement. While the lawsuit currently seeks declaratory relief, I want to note that we retain the option of curtailing federal funding to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety and the University of North Carolina as this case proceeds.

In a career that thus far has been quietly off the radar, Loretta Lynch’s words have been heralded as a turning point in the current discrimination battle brewing in the south. Watch the entire speech here! 

Monday Meme: Keith Haring

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During the 1980’s and 90’s the world lost dozens of talented artists to AIDS.  Keith Haring who would have been 58 on May 4 was one of them. We celebrate Haring and his art with a Monday Meme. Much of Haring’s work documented his struggle with AIDS and the nation’s prejudices and homophobia of the times. Before his diagnosis, Haring was knew he was in danger of contracting the disease and felt a push to have his art reflect what was happening in the world around him. “The odds are very great and, in fact, the symptoms already exist,” he wrote in 1987. “I know in my heart that is only divine intervention that has kept me alive this long. I don’t know if I have five months or five years, but I know my days are numbered. This is why my activities and projects are so important now. To do as much as possible as quickly as possible.” Haring’s “Silence = Death” show inspired the logo still associated with the battle against AIDS. Haring passed away on February 16, 1990 due to AIDS complications. Today, Haring’s art illustrates the struggle and courage of those living with AIDS as well as the fight for equality for LGBT.