[Equal Marriage] Re: Draft Letter Solicting LGBT Support

[Owen Broadhurst]

From: David Strand <mncivil at yahoo.com> Signed-By: yahoo.com | Mailed-By:
yahoo.com

To: Owen Broadhurst <owen.broadhurst at gmail.com>,
lavender-discussion at green.gpus.org
Date: Feb 12, 2006 2:46 AM
Subject: Re: [Lavender-caucus] Fwd: Draft Letter Solicting LGBT Support

Owen this looks great but I have one question.  Does
Massachusetts protect people from discrimination on
the basis of gender identity, characteristics and or
expression as the neighboring state Rhode Island does?


I know that there has been some jurisprudence in MA
courts providing protection in some cases under sex
discrimination but that the overall protections are
narrowly focused rulings that don't clearly provide
protection to transexual, transgender, intersex and
genderqueer individuals.

David Strand

===========

From: stephen spring <springdistrict2 at hotmail.com> Mailed-By: hotmail.com
To: mncivil at yahoo.com, owen.broadhurst at gmail.com,
lavender-discussion at green.gpus.org
Date: Feb 12, 2006 3:53 AM
Subject: RE: [Lavender-discussion] Re: [Lavender-caucus] Fwd: Draft
LetterSolicting LGBT Support

Maine this year finally passed its anti-discrimination bill and fought back
a referendum to overturn it.  We actually got gender expression in there.
It took 28 years to get this bill passed that resembles Rhode Island's law
and that of a few other states -- I think maybe New Mexico, Nevada,
Illinois???  My recollection is that my home state of MA (born in Lowell and
grew up in Dracut and Leominster) doesn't have gender expression in its
anti-discrimination legislation.

Equality Maine is the force behind the gay right's movement up here.  Greens
have struggled to get endorsements --- they endorse in just about every
state legislative district up here.  Even though the Maine Green Independent
state platform is the only one demanding full equality, we run up against
the notion of being spoilers -- still.  Equality Maine is on message with a
strong "Dems are good -- Republicans are evil" and Greens are percieved to
help the evil empire secure seats.

It takes 2/3rds of the legislature to change the constitution in Maine to
ban gay marriage and the House and Senate are split Dem/Rep with, as you
know, 1 green.  There is no chance of this happening.  We also have had two
recent defections of Dems to Indepenedents.  So, the reality is the Dems
this November are in danger of losing power in one or both bodies as well as
the governor's seat.  Equality Maine's other agenda is coming out -- they
are concerned about the Dems losing absolute power in Maine.  Though based
partly on the decades-long fear our community has of Republicans, it also
has a lot to do with losing jobs and access to power.  It leaves Greens in a
strange place.

Greens up here are looking to keep John Eder in office and to add a couple
more Greens to the state legislature.  It is a very real possibilty that
Greens could hold the balance of power in the state house come November.
Very exciting!!!  This could mean some negotiations/opportunities to further
gay rights up here -- Owen mentions the mandatgory health curriculum in MA
that tackles homophobia and when talking about sex, includes us.  I'll be
asking my state legislator, John Eder (G) to include a bill modeled after
this in January, 2007.  Thanks Owen!!







Peace,

Stephen Spring
Portland School Board

240 Valley Street
Portland, ME 04102
(H) 207-879-4040
(C) 207-450-1435


============

From: Owen Broadhurst <owen.broadhurst at gmail.com> Mailed-By: gmail.com

To: stephen spring <springdistrict2 at hotmail.com>, mncivil at yahoo.com
Cc: lavender-discussion at green.gpus.org
Date: Feb 12, 2006 7:40 AM
Subject: Re: [Lavender-discussion] Re: [Lavender-caucus] Fwd: Draft
LetterSolicting LGBT Support

Gender -expression is not yet fully protected in MA, to my knowledge. The
Green-Rainbow certainly wishes that it was.

However, the Commonwealth is slowly making progress. GLSEN and Planned
Parenthood have sponsored workshops inclusive of trans-gender folk, with
state agency support, in several public schools. Staples, Raytheon, Ford and
Pepsi have expanded their discrimination policies here to be protective of
trans-gender folk. Driver's license renewal forms here now permit applicants
to register change of sex; and courts have ruled transexualism to be
protected as a disability (a modicum of protection without dignity).

Massachusetts has neither Minnesota's nor Rhode Island's explicit set of
protections. Boston, however, does explicitly ban discrimination against
trans-gender folk; MA does allow those who have undergone sex-reassignment
to change their birth certificate; and in Beger v. Division of Medical
Assistance, Superior Court ruled that a trans-woman could not be denied
medically necessary breast reconstruction. We do still have a ways to go
yet...

OB


On 2/12/06, Owen Broadhurst <owen.broadhurst at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> [This is obviously geared towards 3rd Hampden District residents, but can
> easily be modified - OB]
>
>
> Dear civil rights advocates and equal marriage rights supporters:
>
>
>
>
>
> Only but once in a blue moon have our communities forceful and vocal
> champions of our human rights and civil liberties campaigning for public
> office. Very rarely have we the pleasure to find among our choices on the
> ballot a strong voice for dignity, liberty, the safeguarding of our rights,
> and genuine equality. Never before have we seen fielded as a candidate an
> uncompromising advocate of our struggle. Yet, I am now that candidate. ...
>