Thursday, September 30, 2010

Anti-gay bullying has led to two more U.S. suicides in Texas and New Jersey

Anti-gay bullying has led to two more suicides.

In Houston, Texas, the parents of eighth-grader have said that their son shot himself in the head after constantly being harassed at Hamilton Middle School.  His mother and stepfather, said that other students verbally and physically bullied him, and said that the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District ignored their complaints; the district responded that it never heard from parents, school officials or other students.

Also, a freshman at New Jersey's Rutgers University committed suicide by jumping off the George Washington Bridge after other students broadcast the freshman making out with another man (without the victim's knowledge).

Report school bullying in Kentucky to Kentucky Equality Federation's Discrimination, School Bullying, and Hate Crimes Committee.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Repeal of DADT is dead; the reason only one bill should be considered at a time

The United States Congress failed to repeal the 17-year old "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy because of other items attached to the bill.

This is yet another reason bills should not be permitted to be attached to each other.  A perfect example is what the Kentucky Senate tried to do this year with House Bill 350This is a broken system in need of repair.

U.S. Senate Republicans say they blocked the bill because Democrats included new spending of $726 billion.

Why can't the Kentucky Legislature and the National Legislature (Congress) focus on one bill at a time instead of attaching amendments, and hiding legislation in other bills?

Click here for additional information about how bills and amendments are hidden in other bills just to get them passed.

Monday, September 20, 2010

Kentucky Social Worker Terminated for being a Lesbian!

A woman was suspended last week from a job with social services for suspension of being a lesbian. The woman wishes to remain anonymous.

The Mt. Washington, KY based Sunrise Children's Services Mission Statement says: "Sunrise Children's Services provides care and hope for hurting families and children through Christ-centered ministries."

According to the discrimination report, sent directly to former Kentucky Equality Federation President Jordan Palmer, who continues to act as public advocate for the organization: "Yesterday they called me to the office and told me I was suspended without pay on suspicions that I am a lesbian."

The woman has now been terminated.



According to the plaintiff: "This job was everything I have ever wanted. They sought me out, made me an offer too good to turn down. To be approached the way I was was heartbreaking; unbelievable is a better word. I'm going to move on, professionally and try to figure out what lesson I can learn from this other than the shallowness and closed mindedness that still exists today.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Associate History Professor at EKU opposes domestic partnerships which are effective January 2011

Todd Hartch an Associate Professor in the history department of Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) recently wrote to The Eastern Progress (EKU's student newspaper) that EKU offering domestic partnerships beginning January 2011 "undermines marriage."

Hartch went on to say: "The policy endorses the practice of unmarried couples living together and confers marriage-like benefits to them. It says to EKU, to Madison County, and to Kentucky that sexual relationships outside of marriage are not only legitimate but important enough to necessitate university sponsorship."

Hartch goes to the say that offering domestic partnerships at EKU violates the Commonwealth's Constitution. Without knowing what kind of "history" Hartch teaches, he should remember then Kentucky Attorney General Greg Stumbo (now Speaker of the House) ruled on this.

It is somewhat scary that a history professor doesn't know a critical ruling of the Kentucky Department of Law, headed by the Attorney General.


As United We Stand - Kentucky's LGBTI News reported on June 01, 2007:
Kentucky's top law enforcement officer, Attorney General Greg Stumbo (D) ruled domestic-partner benefits unconstitutional today, but left the door open for universities and colleges around the commonwealth to make them constitutional by broadening their definition of domestic-partner.

House Representative Stan Lee (R), currently running for the Office of Attorney General to replace Stumbo was one of two representatives to request the opinion (no surprise there).

“They still have the flexibility to allow and to offer their health insurance plan and its benefit structure to other people,” Stumbo said. “They cannot define the class of people in a manner that would be creating a legal status similar to that of marriage.”

The University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville currently offer domestic-partner benefits.

The professor is not the chief law enforcement officer of the Commonwealth or an attorney, and the Kentucky Attorney General left the door wide open to allow this! Perhaps Hartch should read more history.