In terms of gay rights, the 2012 election showed significant progress. In three states – Maryland, Maine, and Washington – citizens voted to allow gay marriage. Minnesota lagged a little behind, voting against a ban on gay marriage (which is not quite the same thing as legalizing it), but hey, progress is progress. Additionally, Tammy Baldwin is the first openly lesbian senator to serve in U.S. history, and Kyrsten Sinema is the first openly bi member of Congress. Hopefully more will follow in their footsteps. Continue Reading →
gay rights
Recent posts
Reflections On Coming Out
October 11th was National Coming Out Day, which was established after the 1987 March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. This celebration of identity is intended to promote equality, safety, and tolerance for all, regardless of sexual identity. People’s willingness to share their coming-out stories is a significant part of this movement. As someone who studies storytelling, I can tell you that stories are a powerful expression of the cultural and individual aspects of our identities. It makes sense that collecting coming-out stories would yield a great many insights about the commonalities of both oppression and acceptance. Continue Reading →
LGBT Rights In Russia
I haven’t seen a lot in the US news about this, but since I’m currently living in Estonia–which used to be occupied by the Soviet Union–I guess I’m in a better position to hear about Russian news. Basically, in November voters were supposed to weigh in on a new law that would criminalize free speech for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and trans people. As Amnesty International reports, the law would allow authorities to fine “public actions aimed at propaganda of sodomy, lesbianism, bisexuality, and transgenderism among minors.” The ambiguous phrasing makes it unclear just what a “public action” is, leading the activists at All Out to ask for signatures to show support for freedom of speech for gays, lesbians, and other queer folks in Russia. The problems of not being allowed to freely speak about one’s sexual identity are myriad. Continue Reading →
Study On Gay-Straight Alliances Reveals Their Benefits
Gay-straight alliances (GSAs) are a controversial form of organization that promotes tolerance and education within high schools across North America. Some have been banned by schools that feel they are inappropriate for a youthful setting. However, a new study has finally shown evidence that their benefits are many. Bullying and discrimination at the school level can have many negative effects for LGBT youth, including increased rates of suicide, HIV risk, and dropping out of school. Thus, the study’s findings that GSAs increased grades and college admission rates of their participants, as well as lowered the reported incidences of depression, are highly significant. Continue Reading →
A Gay Tax
Facebook has recently joined the ranks of a very small number of companies reimbursing their partnered GLB employees who receive health insurance benefits for their significant others. You see when heterosexuals get insurance for their spouses the income going towards those benefits is not taxed. But because of DOMA GLB employees are basically paying a tax to be in a same-sex relationship. According to the NY Times’ Tara Siegel Bernard: Continue Reading →