Politics

The Trevor Project Condemns Florida “Don’t Say Gay” Bill 

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The Trevor Project Condemns Florida “Don’t Say Gay” Bill Targeting LGBTQ Students

The bill would effectively erase LGBTQ students and history by banning classroom discussions about sexual orientation and gender identity in schools.

January 20, 2022 — The Trevor Project, the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning (LGBTQ) young people, condemned the Florida House Education & Employment Committee for passing HB 1557/SB 1834, also known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which would ban classroom discussions about sexual orientation and gender identity in schools, erasing LGBTQ identity, history, and culture — as well as LGBTQ students themselves. The bill also has provisions that appear to undermine LGBTQ support in schools and include vague parental notification requirements which could effectively “out” LGBTQ-identifying students to their parents without their consent.

“The Trevor Project’s research has found that LGBTQ youth who learned about LGBTQ issues or people in classes at school had 23% lower odds of reporting a suicide attempt in the past year. This bill will  erase young LGBTQ students across Florida, forcing many back into the closet by policing their identity and silencing important discussions about the issues they face,” said Sam Ames (they/them pronouns), Director of Advocacy and Government Affairs at The Trevor Project. “LGBTQ students deserve their history and experiences to be reflected in their education, just like their peers.”

The Trevor Project’s 2021 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health found that more than 42% of LGBTQ youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, including more than half of transgender and nonbinary youth. According to a recent poll conducted by Morning Consult on behalf of The Trevor Project, 85% of transgender and nonbinary youth—and two-thirds of all LGBTQ youth (66%) — say recent debates about state laws restricting the rights of transgender people have negatively impacted their mental health. When asked about proposed legislation that would require schools to tell a student’s parent or guardian if they request to use a different name/pronoun or if they identify as LGBTQ at school, 56% of transgender and nonbinary youth said it made them feel angry, 47% felt nervous and/or scared, 45% felt stressed, and more than 1 in 3 felt sad.

If you or someone you know needs help or support, The Trevor Project’s trained crisis counselors are available 24/7 at 1-866-488-7386, via chat at TheTrevorProject.org/Get-Help, or by texting START to 678678. 

About The Trevor Project

The Trevor Project is the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning (LGBTQ) young people. The Trevor Project offers a suite of 24/7 crisis intervention and suicide prevention programs, including TrevorLifeline, TrevorText, and TrevorChat as well as the world’s largest safe space social networking site for LGBTQ youth, TrevorSpace. Trevor also operates an education program with resources for youth-serving adults and organizations, an advocacy department fighting for pro-LGBTQ legislation and against anti-LGBTQ rhetoric/policy positions, and a research team to discover the most effective means to help young LGBTQ people in crisis and end suicide.

Our Identities Under Arrest

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LGBTQ Identities are Under Arrest

Arrests and prosecutions for consensual same-sex sexual acts, or for diverse gender expressions, continue unabated across the world. And yet, they are considerably under-reported.

Our Identities Under Arrest is a new publication by ILGA World offering a global overview of the enforcement of laws criminalising consensual same-sex sexual acts between adults and diverse gender expressions.

The report reviews hundreds of cases in which law enforcements subjected LGBT and gender-diverse persons to fines, arbitrary arrests, prosecutions, corporal punishments, imprisonments and more – up to (possibly) the death penalty.

Governments often argue that criminalising laws are ‘dormant’, but this report offers evidence that such claims are largely inaccurate. How – and how often – they are enforced can vary abruptly and in unpredictable ways, making both our communities on the ground and asylum seekers who managed to flee live perpetually under threat.

The Our Identities under Arrest report will be of great value to the advocacy work of human rights defenders. It will assist asylum seekers and the legal experts working on their cases. And it will provide researchers, media outlets, governmental and global agencies with the necessary information to build a holistic picture of how the criminalisation on the grounds of sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression really looks like.

Click the link below to read the full report:

Our_Identities_Under_Arrest_2021-1Download

Decriminalization of sex work is good public health policy

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Scott Schoettes

By Scott Schoettes

Sex work needs to be decriminalized in the United States. My desire to see this come to pass is not (completely) self-interested. It is a matter of human rights and personal autonomy, and a natural extension of Lawrence v. Texas, the landmark 2003 Supreme Court case that established the constitutional right to engage in same-sex sexual activity. Just as importantly, however, decriminalization of sex work is an HIV prevention and public health strategy.

First, criminalization drives sex work underground and impedes public health efforts to reach sex workers and their clients with HIV prevention, treatment, care and support programs. The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has documented that, in large part due to the criminalization of sex work, sex workers frequently have insufficient access to adequate health services, male and female condoms, water-based lubricants, post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) following condomless sex or rape, management of STIs, drug treatment and other harm reduction services, protection from violence and abusive work conditions, and social and legal support.

Due in part to the illegal nature of the work, sex workers often face discrimination and rejection in accessing healthcare, with damaging health results. Occupational stigma of criminalized work increases vulnerability to stress and diseases, compounding health care needs while simultaneously acting as a barrier to healthcare services essential to prevention. When sex workers do seek out healthcare services, they often are regarded in ways that reinforce criminal stigma, which can deter sex workers from seeking care at all and from disclosing their occupation for fear of discrimination by their healthcare provider and disclosure of their identity and activities to law enforcement. For sex workers living with HIV, these concerns are compounded.

Second, the use of condoms as evidence undermines prevention of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, as well as other public health goals. Though a few jurisdictions have reformed their practices in recent years, many jurisdictions still view the mere possession of condoms as evidence of the intent to engage in prostitution or other prostitution-related crimes. Arresting and prosecuting people who carry condoms reduces use of an extremely effective and affordable prevention tool, particularly for people engaged in (or profiled as likely to engage in) “street level” sex work. And using condoms as evidence makes managing sexual health more difficult because it forces individuals to weigh the risk of prosecution for a prostitution-related crime against the risk of transmitting or acquiring HIV and other STIs.

Third, criminalization increases violence against sex workers. Where sex work is criminalized, there are alarmingly high rates of physical and sexual violence against sex workers by clients, individuals posing as clients, police, exploitative “pimps,” and others. Abuse is fueled when perpetrators recognize the barriers criminalized sex workers face in seeking justice, perpetuating physical and sexual violence with impunity. Furthermore, abusive intimate partners can exploit the illegality of sex work and may threaten to expose their partners to police as tactics of control.

To avoid police detection, criminalized sex workers often displace themselves to isolated (and more dangerous) settings, effectively forcing them to trade away their safety and well-being. When criminalization prompts sex workers and their customers to move their encounters off main streets and into less trafficked areas, they are exposed to greater risk of violence, more pressure to engage in unprotected sex, and other hazards.

Violence against sex workers is often not registered as an offense by the police and in some cases is perpetrated by police. Sex workers report severe sexual violence, including forced unprotected sex by police officers, both at the time of arrest for prostitution-related crimes and while in custody on those criminal charges. And the criminalization of sex work means the violence that occurs in the context of sex work has been largely unmonitored, resulting in few to no legal protections afforded to sex workers by police and judicial systems.

In countries where sex work has been decriminalized, access to care improves, STI rates decrease, and safer sex practices increase. Though the UN has identified sex workers as a “key population” in the global fight against HIV for many years, the current National HIV/AIDS Strategy fails to include them among the “priority populations” in the United States. Here’s hoping sex workers are identified as a priority population in the next iteration of the NHAS and that the barriers to prevention, care and treatment identified above are addressed while progress is made toward full decriminalization.

Scott Schoettes is an attorney and advocate who lives openly with HIV. He engages in impact litigation, public policy work, and education to protect, enhance, and advance the rights of everyone living with HIV. This column is a project of TheBody, Plus, Positively Aware, POZ and Q Syndicate, the LGBTQ+ wire service. Visit their websites – http://thebody.com, http://hivplusmag.com, http://positivelyaware.com and http://poz.com – for the latest updates on HIV/AIDS.

Heather Mizeur Runs for Congress

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Heather Mizeur

From the Victory Fund: Heather Mizeur has spent her professional life over the last 25 years passionately engaged in public service. She is a policy expert, a former legislator, a small business owner, a farmer and the founder and CEO of a non-profit organization focused on social justice. 
 
Heather’s life is defined by a commitment to service and stewardship that was formed in her early years. She is the oldest daughter of a factory welder who was an active United Auto Worker for more than 30 years. Five generations of family farming also run deep through her DNA. Heather’s spiritual life, rooted in her Catholic faith, is the animating force behind her dedication to social justice — a passion and faith shared by her wife, Deborah. They met on Capitol Hill while Heather was U.S. Senator John Kerry’s Domestic Policy Director and were married in 2005, pledging then to do everything they could to bring marriage equality to Maryland. 
 
Heather was known in Annapolis as a legislative powerhouse during the eight years she served in the Maryland General Assembly — leading the charge on passing marriage equality, banning fracking, enacting criminal justice reforms, and expanding health insurance for children, women, and families. After leaving elected office, Heather founded Soul Force Politics, a non-profit organization dedicated to bridging the worsening divisions in American politics and civic life. Heather’s career also includes four years of national service as a member of AmeriCorps. 

Find out more at www.heathermizeur.com

National Center for Transgender Equality Launch 2022 U.S. Trans Survey Pledge 

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US Trans Survey

The National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) and partners are excited to launch the 2022 U.S. Trans Survey Pledge (USTS) at ustranssurvey.org. Through the USTS Pledge, members of the trans community can now sign up to receive information about the survey, learn how to participate and pledge to take the survey when it is released in 2022. 

“NCTE is proud to partner with the Black Trans Advocacy Coalition, TransLatin@ Coalition, National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance, and other organizations that serve trans people nationwide on the 2022 U.S. Trans Survey,” said Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen, executive director of NCTE.

“The Black Trans Advocacy Coalition is incredibly excited to be a partner for the 2022 U.S. Trans Survey, the leading source for insight into the real-life experiences of the trans community. As the largest trans survey in the U.S., we know that it’s critical to ensure that the experiences of as many Black binary and nonbinary trans people as possible are captured in the survey,” said Carter Brown, national executive director of BTAC.  “We are encouraging everyone to be a part of history and pledge to take the 2022 U.S. Trans Survey.”   

“Our organization is grateful to partner on such an important milestone for our community with the 2022 U.S. Trans Survey,” said Bamby Salcedo, president and CEO of the Los Angeles-based TransLatin@ Coalition. “The data we will generate as a community will provide support for our continued advocacy for our specific needs.”

Information about the U.S. Trans Survey:   

  • The U.S. Trans Survey is the largest survey of trans people in the United States.  
  • The USTS documents the lives and experiences of trans people in the U.S. and U.S. territories.   
  • The U.S. Trans Survey is for all trans people ages 16 and up.   
  • The USTS is for people of all trans identities, including binary and nonbinary trans identities.  
  • The USTS is the main source of data about trans people for the media, educators, policymakers and the general public, and covers health, employment, income, the criminal justice system and other aspects of life.   
  • USTS reports have been a vital resource, including the reports on the experiences of people of color and reports by state.   
  • In 2015, nearly 28,000 people took the USTS, making it the largest survey of trans people in the U.S. to date. A lot has happened since then, and it’s time to conduct the USTS again in 2022.    

Participants who sign a pledge form to participate will receive email updates from NCTE about the survey. Taking the pledge does not obligate anyone to take the survey and participation is voluntary. Participants will be asked to consent to take the survey once it becomes available. 

LGBTQ and HIV/AIDS Awareness Days in 2022

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LGBTQ Awareness Days

National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
February 7, 2022
event page link | facebook event link

Transgender Day of Visibility
March 31, 2022
event page link | facebook event link

National Day of Silence
April 22, 2022
event page link | facebook event link

Lesbian Visibility Day
April 26th, 2022
event page link | facebook event link

International Family Equality Day
May 1, 2022
event page link | facebook event link

National Honor our LGBT Elders Day
May 16, 2022
event page link | facebook event link

International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia
May 17, 2022
event page link | facebook event link

National Asian and Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
May 19th, 2022
event page link | facebook event link

Harvey Milk Day
May 22, 2022
event page link | facebook event link

Pansexual Visibility Day
May 24, 2022
event page link | facebook event link

Long Term Survivors Day
June 5, 2022
event page link | facebook event link

World Refugee Day
June 20, 2022
event page link | facebook event link

World Suicide Prevention Day
September 10, 2022
event page link | facebook event link

National HIV & Aging Awareness Day
September 18, 2022
event page link | facebook event link

Bisexuality Day
September 23, 2022
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National Coming Out Day
October 11, 2022
event page link | facebook event link

National Latinx HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
October 15, 2022
event page link | facebook event link

LGBT Center Awareness Day
October 19, 2022
event page link | facebook event link

International Pronouns Day
October 19th, 2022
event page link | facebook event link

Spirit Day
October 20, 2022
event page link | facebook event link

Asexual Awareness Week
October 23-29, 2022
event page link | facebook event link

Intersex Awareness Day
October 26, 2022
event page link | facebook event link

LGBT Stem Day
November 18, 2022
event page link | facebook event link

Transgender Day of Remembrance
November 20th, 2022
event page link | facebook event link

Polyamory Day
November 23, 2022
event page link | facebook event link

World AIDS Day
December 1, 2022
event page link | facebook event link

photograph by Ted Eytan

Dallas Native Venton Jones Launches Campaign for House District 100

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Venton Jones

DALLAS, TEXAS –Non-Profit CEO and community leader Venton Jones announces bid for the open House District 100 seat in the March Democratic Primary. Jones, who has devoted almost two decades of service in public health, seeks to represent a district with some of the highest rates of uninsured families and mortality in Texas.

Jones stated, “Public health must be at the top of the agenda for any Texas public official. I grew up, live, and operate a non-profit all within the district. I see every day how the lack of adequate healthcare leads to the economic disparity of Black and Hispanic communities and if elected, I look forward to leading the effort to change that.”

Jones, 37, boasts an impressive resume of public service from Dallas, TX to Washington D.C. He is a graduate of Texas A&M University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Health and received his Master’s Degree in Healthcare Administration from the University of Texas at Arlington. After college, Jones moved to Washington, D.C. working for almost a decade on initiatives impacting public policy and building community coalitions. He then returned to the District 100 neighborhood he grew up in and founded the non-profit Southern Black Policy & Advocacy Network; an organization that aims to improve the health, social, and economic conditions facing Black communities living in the U.S. South. Jones also currently serves as a Democratic Precinct Chair, Election Judge, appointee to the City of Dallas MLK, Jr. Community Center Board, an appointee to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Health Resources and Services Administration Advisory Committee on HIV, Viral Hepatitis, and STD Prevention and Treatment by Secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Alex Azar, and is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

It’s also quite fitting that Jones launches his campaign on December 1st, which marks the observance of World AIDS Day. Jones has been a tireless fighter for the rights of people living with HIV/AIDS including serving as the current Chair to the Dallas County HIV Taskforce, and former Vice-Chair to the Dallas County Ryan White Planning Council.

With the March 1st Democratic Primary quickly approaching, Jones’ campaign is gearing up very fast. Jones is proud to have already received the endorsements from Commissioner John Wiley Price, former House District 100 Representative Lorraine Birabil, and a host of Precinct Chairs and community leaders.

District 100 is currently served by Representative Jasmine Crockett who is not seeking re-election, and covers South Dallas, and parts of Oak Cliff, Pleasant Grove, East Dallas and West Dallas. “District 100 has with a wide range of racial, social and economic diversity, and I look forward to representing the needs of all communities”.

Daniel Hernández could be the be the second Latinx out LGBTQ member of Congress!

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Daniel Hernández, Arizona

Daniel Hernández is running for Congress to represent Arizona’s second district. If elected, Daniel will be the second Latinx out LGBTQ member of congress. The date of the primary election is August 2nd, 2022 and the general election takes place on November 8th, 2022

The Victory Fund writes…

Daniel is a state representative, former school board president, and lifelong Arizonan running for Congress to help Southern Arizona families.

Daniel was born and raised in Tucson, his mother an immigrant from Mexico who came to the U.S. where she met Daniel’s father. A first-generation college student, Daniel attended the University of Arizona when he interned for then-Congresswoman Gabby Giffords and was there on the day of the tragic attack on her life which resulted in 6 deaths and 13 people injured. Daniel was the first to administer first aid to the Congresswoman before the EMTs arrived and was named a national hero by President Obama.

Inspired by Congresswoman Giffords’s commitment to public service, Daniel went on to advocate for access to reproductive health care and education as program manager for Raíz, Planned Parenthood’s Latino outreach program. He was also elected to his local school board, where he became the youngest school board president in the district’s history.

Since 2017, Daniel has served in the Arizona State House, was one of the youngest elected and is a co-founder of the House LGBTQ caucus. In the House, he has worked with both Republicans and Democrats to pass bills protecting survivors of sexual assault and secure $20 million for school resource officers, counselors, and social workers. He also led the fight against legislation that would discriminate against LGBTQ Arizonans.

He fought to expand access to affordable health care, having struggled firsthand with a severe illness and to afford the right care and medication. During the pandemic, he protected critical health care services and saved a rural hospital that treats underserved communities in Southern Arizona. He also received recognition as the 2019 Women’s Healthcare Champion from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Find out more about Daniel at: danielhernandezforcongress.com

The Illinois Keeping Youth Safe and Healthy Act Becomes Law

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Keep Kids Safe and Healthy Act Becomes Law

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed the Keeping Youth Safe and Healthy Act, which creates age-appropriate learning standards for public schools that decide to teach comprehensive personal health and safety education (grades K-5) and comprehensive sexual health education (grades 6-12).

Brian C. Johnson, CEO of Equality Illinois, said:

“Equality Illinois is excited the Keeping Youth Safe and Healthy Act is now law. In Carbondale, Springfield, Naperville, and more communities across the state, LGBTQ youth consistently told us their healthcare needs, their relationships, and their identities must be included and affirmed in public school instruction about personal health and safety education and sexual health education. This law advances Illinois’ values of inclusion and the freedom to build our best lives without burden or discrimination.

“While we are proud of this Act, there is much work to be done and more allies to get on board to ensure all Illinois public schools provide students with age-appropriate, comprehensive, and affirming personal health and safety education and sexual health education. We will forge ahead.”

Also known as Senate Bill 818, the Keeping Youth Safe and Healthy Act applies to public school districts that choose to teach comprehensive personal health and safety education in grades K-5 and comprehensive sexual health education in grades 6-12. The new law will establish age-appropriate learning standards in alignment with national standards developed by leading public health groups, education organizations, and experts to ensure that youth in Illinois are equipped with the necessary tools and information to lead healthy and safe lives at all ages. The Illinois State Board of Education must develop and adopt the standards by August 1, 2022. Before that date, public schools that provide instruction in comprehensive personal health and safety education and comprehensive sexual health education must do so in an age-appropriate, inclusive, and comprehensive way.

The Keeping Youth Safe and Healthy Act also ensures that such instruction is inclusive and affirming of communities who historically have been stigmatized or excluded from such instruction, including youth living with a disability, LGBTQIA youth, pregnant or parenting youth, and survivors of interpersonal and sexual violence. Additionally, this education must not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity, national origin, disability, religion, gender expression, gender identity, or sexual orientation.

The Keeping Youth Safe and Healthy Act passed the Illinois General Assembly in May, where it was championed by State Senator Ram Villivalam (D-Chicago), State Representative Camille Lilly (D-Chicago), State Senator Celina Villanueva (D-Chicago), and State Representative Kathleen Willis (D-Addison).

The Keeping Youth Safe and Healthy Act is supported by a broad statewide coalition of organizations, including Equality Illinois, ACLU of Illinois, AIDS Foundation Chicago, Planned Parenthood Illinois Action, American Association of University Women (AAUW) Illinois, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Chicago Abortion Fund, Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation, Chicago Children’s Advocacy Center, Chicago Women’s Health Center, Citizen Action/Illinois, Comprehensive Sex Ed Now, Cook County Health, EverThrive Illinois, Healing to Action, Hult Center for Healthy Living, Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health, Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault, Illinois National Organization for Women, Illinois Public Health Association, Illinois School Counselor Association, Kenneth Young Center, Lambda Legal, Life Span, McHenry County Citizens for Choice, Mujeres Latinas en Acción, National Association of Social Workers-Illinois Chapter, National Council of Jewish Women Illinois, Peoria Proud, PFLAG Council of Northern Illinois, Prairie Pride Coalition, Public Health Institute of Metropolitan Chicago, Rainbow Cafe LGBTQ Center, Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, Resilience, She Votes Illinois, SIECUS, The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence, Uniting Pride of Champaign County, and YWCA Evanston/North Shore.

“Thank you, Gov. Pritzker, for signing the bill,” Johnson said. “Thank you to our champions: State Sen. Ram Villivalam, State Rep. Camille Lilly, State Sen. Celina Villanueva, and State Rep. Kathleen Willis. Thank you to the 37 state senators and 60 state representatives who voted YES to supporting Illinois’ youth, including LGBTQ youth. Thank you to our many dedicated partners, including Planned Parenthood Illinois Action, Rainbow Café LGBTQ Center, AIDS Foundation Chicago, and the ACLU of Illinois.”

Censorship of LGBTQ Websites Around the World

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Internet Censorship Around the World

A new report from OutRight Action International, the Citizen Lab, and the Open Observatory of Network Interference (OONI) documents the state of website censorship in some of the most challenging countries in the world for LGBTIQ communities. The report shows prevalent censorship of LGBTIQ website content, reflecting prevalent levels of LGBTIQ-phobia and active silencing of LGBTIQ voices by certain states. The study combines network measurement techniques with interviews from local experts, providing novel insight into the technical obstacles many users face in accessing LGBTIQ news, health, and human rights websites.

The report focuses on Indonesia, Malaysia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). These countries are known for having some of the most challenging environments for the promotion and protection of human rights in the world. The documented online censorship in these jurisdictions prevents LGBTIQ people from accessing important information, silences LGBTIQ voices, and obstructs the efforts of civil society who are fighting for LGBTIQ rights.

The report provides detailed technical and policy examinations of each country, finding:

  • The highest blocking consistency was found in Saudi Arabia, where most LGBTIQ URLs were found blocked more than 75% of the times tested.
  • The highest number of LGBTIQ URLs found blocked was in Iran.
  • Russia had the highest number of networks that block LGBTIQ URLs. 
  • In all six countries, LGBTIQ-related content is wrongly conflated with pornography and subjected to laws outlawing such content.
  • Censorship leads to self-censorship, especially where punitive actions against LGBTIQ communities are intensifying.

OutRight Action International, Citizen Lab, and OONI also found that in some of these countries, the criminalization of same-sex relations and transgender identities, in addition to the shrinking space for civil society online and offline, has hampered coalition- and movement-building efforts.

Deputy Executive Director of OutRight Action International, Maria Sjödin, comments:

“For so many LGBTIQ people around the world, the ability to connect online is the only opportunity to find community and access life-saving information. Censorship cuts off an important lifeline, further demonizes the LGBTIQ community, and obstructs the work of LGBTIQ organizations. Such censorship, typically justified by discriminatory or arbitrarily applied laws, is in violation of international standards of freedom of expression and access to information. As long as states continue to censor LGBTIQ websites, the international community, private sector actors and civil society must do what they can to protect these fundamental rights.”

Access the report here.