National
National news in brief
Frank called ‘faggot’ during health care protests & more
Frank called ‘faggot’ during health care protests
WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) said protesters opposed to health care reform did “more harm than good” last weekend when they used slurs against him and another congressman.
Frank told Talking Points Memo that the March 20 protesters on Capitol Hill, which included Tea Party members and others rallying against the health care reform bill, demonstrated an “unwillingness to be just civil.”
In separate incidents, one man called Frank a “faggot” and a group punctuated chants of “kill the bill” with the word “nigger” in the presence of Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), who’s black.
“[T]he objection to the health care bill has become a proxy for other sentiments,” Frank told Talking Points Memo. “Obviously there are perfectly reasonable people that are against this, but the people out there today on the whole — many of them were hateful and abusive.”
Frank said it’s incumbent upon “the leaders of the movement” to condemn such behavior.
“If this was my cause, and I saw this angry group yelling and shouting and being so abusive to people, I would ask them to please stop it,” Frank told Talking Points Memo. “I think they do more harm than good.”
House Republican backs ‘Don’t Ask’ repeal bill
WASHINGTON — Legislation in the U.S. House that would repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” gained a Republican co-sponsor last week, according to the Log Cabin Republicans.
Rep. Joseph Cao (R-La.) signed on March 17 in support of the bill, making him one of two Republican co-sponsors. The other GOP co-sponsor is Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.).
In a statement, Cao said he supports the bill in part because “discrimination that puts our national security in jeopardy is a double threat.”
“America is a land where we embrace our diversity as a sign of strength, and where anybody can work hard and be judged solely on the basis of their ability to do the job,” he said. “Nothing about one’s sexual orientation impacts the ability to perform to the highest expectations that we hold for our men and women in the armed forces.”
Representing a traditionally Democratic district, Cao could face a difficult fight for re-election this year. Since he joined Congress last year, he’s voted for what are sometimes seen as Democratic partisan bills. When the health care reform first came to the House floor, Cao was the lone Republican vote in favor of the legislation.
In a statement, Terry Hamilton, Log Cabin’s board chair, commended Cao for his support and said Log Cabin would continue working to build Republican support for the repeal bill.
“Congressman Cao’s commitment to the health and strength of our national defense and speaking out against one of the last forms of state-sanctioned discrimination shows his strong character, something that is missing in too many debates in Washington,” he said.
Cao’s support brings the number of co-sponsors for “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal legislation to 190.
Tales of LGBT housing discrimination sought
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development last week launched a web site to collect public comments for a national study on LGBT discrimination in housing accommodation.
The web site is at http://portal.hud.gov/portal/page/portal/HUD/LGBT_Discrimination_Study.
On the web site, HUD says a national study on discrimination against LGBT people in the sale and rental of housing has never been conducted, although state and local studies “have suggested this sort of bias exists.”
Leading the study is Raphael Bostic, assistant secretary of housing and urban development for policy development and research. In a statement, he said it’s critical for researchers to hear from people “who may have been denied housing based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.”
“The comments we received in our town hall meetings, and those we will gather from this new web site, will help inform how we might test for housing discrimination in the sale or rental of housing based on LBGT status,” he said.
In addition to seeking comments through the web site, HUD has held a series of town halls to hear potential stories of discrimination. Events have taken place in Chicago, San Francisco and New York City.
Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) has introduced legislation that would amend the Fair Housing Act to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The bill is pending before the House Judiciary Committee.
Federal Government
US Census Bureau testing survey on LGBTQ households
Agency proposing questions about sexual orientation and gender identity
The U.S. Census Bureau is seeking public comment on a proposed test of sexual orientation and gender identity questions on the American Community Survey. The test would begin this summer and continue into next year.
The Census Bureau published the request as a Federal Register notice. In its press release the agency noted that the ACS is an ongoing survey that collects detailed housing and socioeconomic data. It allows the Census Bureau to provide timely and relevant housing and socioeconomic statistics, even for low levels of geography.
As part of the process for adding new questions to the ACS, the Census Bureau tests potential questions to evaluate the quality of the data collected.
The Census Bureau proposes testing questions about sexual orientation and gender identity to meet the needs of other federal agencies that have expressed interest in or have identified legal uses for the information, such as enforcing civil rights and equal employment measures.
The test would follow the protocols of the actual ACS — with one person asked to respond to the survey on behalf of the entire household. These particular questions are asked about people 15 years of age or older. Households are invited to respond to the survey online, by paper questionnaire or by phone.
The current Federal Register notice gives the public a final opportunity to provide feedback before the Census Bureau submits its recommendations to the Office of Management and Budget for approval. The public may provide feedback through May 30 online.
The White House
Judy Shepard to receive Presidential Medal of Freedom
Nancy Pelosi is also among this year’s honorees
Beloved LGBTQ advocate Judy Shepard is among the 19 honorees who will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the U.S., the White House announced on Friday.
The mother of Matthew Shepard, who was killed in 1998 in the country’s most notorious anti-gay hate crime, she co-founded the Matthew Shepard Foundation with her husband Dennis to raise awareness about anti-LGBTQ violence.
The organization runs education, outreach, and advocacy programs, many focused on schools.
In a statement shared via the Human Rights Campaign, Shepard said, “This unexpected honor has been very humbling for me, Dennis, and our family. What makes us proud is knowing our President and our nation share our lifelong commitment to making this world a safer, more loving, more respectful, and more peaceful place for everyone.
“I am grateful to everyone whose love and support for our work through the years has sustained me.
“If I had the power to change one thing, I can only dream of the example that Matt’s life and purpose would have shown, had he lived. This honor reminds the world that his life, and every life, is precious.”
Shepard was instrumental in working with then-President Barack Obama for passage of the landmark Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act in 2009, which was led in the House by then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who will also be honored with a Presidential Medal of Freedom during the ceremony on Friday.
Also in 2009, Shepard published a memoir, “The Meaning of Matthew: My Son’s Murder in Laramie, and a World Transformed,” and was honored with the Black Tie Dinner Elizabeth Birch Equality Award.
“Judy Shepard has been a champion for equality and President Biden’s choice to honor her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom is a testament to what she’s done to be a force of good in the world,” HRC President Kelley Robinson said in a statement.
“A mother who turned unspeakable grief over the loss of her son into a decades-long fight against anti-LGBTQ+ hatred and violence, Judy continues to make a lasting impact in the lives of the LGBTQ+ community,” she said.
“It is because of her advocacy that the first federal hate crimes legislation became law and that countless life-saving trainings, resources and conversations about equality and acceptance are provided each year by the Matthew Shepard Foundation,” Robinson said. “We are honored that Judy is a member of the HRC family and know that her work to create a more inclusive and just world will only continue.”
Other awardees who will be honored by the White House this year are: Actor Michelle Yeoh, entrepreneur and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Jesuit Catholic priest Gregory Boyle, Assistant House Democratic Leader Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), former Labor and Education Secretary and former U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-N.C.), journalist and former daytime talkshow host Phil Donahue, World War II veteran and civil rights activist Medgar Evers (posthumous), former Vice President Al Gore, civil rights activist and lawyer Clarence B. Jones, former Secretary of State and U.S. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), former U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) (posthumous), Olympic swimmer Katie Ledecky, educator and activist Opal Lee, astronaut and former director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center Ellen Ochoa, astronomer Jane Rigby, United Farm Workers President Teresa Romero, and Olympic athlete Jim Thorpe (posthumous).
National
United Methodist Church removes 40-year ban on gay clergy
Delegates also voted for other LGBTQ-inclusive measures
The United Methodist Church on Wednesday removed a ban on gay clergy that was in place for more than 40 years, voting to also allow LGBTQ weddings and end prohibitions on the use of United Methodist funds to “promote acceptance of homosexuality.”
Overturning the policy forbidding the church from ordaining “self-avowed practicing homosexuals” effectively formalized a practice that had caused an estimated quarter of U.S. congregations to leave the church.
The New York Times notes additional votes “affirming L.G.B.T.Q. inclusion in the church are expected before the meeting adjourns on Friday.” Wednesday’s measures were passed overwhelmingly and without debate. Delegates met in Charlotte, N.C.
According to the church’s General Council on Finance and Administration, there were 5,424,175 members in the U.S. in 2022 with an estimated global membership approaching 10 million.
The Times notes that other matters of business last week included a “regionalization” plan, which gave autonomy to different regions such that they can establish their own rules on matters including issues of sexuality — about which international factions are likelier to have more conservative views.
Rev. Kipp Nelson of St. Johns’s on the Lake Methodist Church in Miami shared a statement praising the new developments:
“It is a glorious day in the United Methodist Church. As a worldwide denomination, we have now publicly proclaimed the boundless love of God and finally slung open the doors of our church so that all people, no matter their identities or orientations, may pursue the calling of their hearts.
“Truly, all are loved and belong here among us. I am honored to serve as a pastor in the United Methodist Church for such a time as this, for our future is bright and filled with hope. Praise be, praise be.”
PHOTOS: Gay Day at the Zoo
PHOTOS: Taste of Point
Miyares joins efforts to fight Title IX changes
US Census Bureau testing survey on LGBTQ households
What property should I purchase if I’m not sure how long I’ll be in D.C.?
Judy Shepard to receive Presidential Medal of Freedom
Kenyan court bars homophobic protests
Pride journey: Las Vegas
United Methodist Church removes 40-year ban on gay clergy
