Birmingham Alliance of Gay,
Straight and Lesbian Youth
Birmingham area
youth are invited to join the
next BAGSLY meeting on Thursday,
January 19, 6:30-8:00 PM at the
Unitarian Universalist Church of
Birmingham, 4300 Hampton Heights
Drive.
BAGSLY meetings
are open to youth between the
ages of 14 and 20.
Guest Speaker:
Sam Wolfe
Learn how the law
can protect your rights, and
learn about youth-led movements
for change. Sam
Wolfe is a civil rights lawyer
with the Southern Poverty Law
Center where he helped launch
the LGBT Rights Project and
continues as a leading team
member of the nation-wide
project. The project’s cutting
edge legal action
has been reported
on the front page of The New
York Times, CNN Presents,
and in an hour long program for
Anderson Cooper 360.
Previously, Sam
was a litigation associate at a
leading international law firm
in New York City where his
pro bono practice focused on
representing LGBT clients. The
National LGBT Bar Association
recently recognized Sam as one
of the Best LGBT Lawyers
Under 40. He is a graduate
of the Georgetown University Law
Center. Sam also currently
serves as a member of the
Alabama Safe Schools Coalition
Coordinating Committee.
Sam will be
joined by Ashley Jackson, SPLC’s
LGBT Rights community advocate
who helped found the youth-led
Mississippi Safe Schools
Coalition.
Dan Choi, former lieutenant in
the US Army who was discharged
for violating the Don’t Ask
Don’t Tell policy in 2009, is
speaking at the UAB campus. The
event is on Thursday, January 26th
at 8:00 PM in the Hill
University Center Alumni
Auditorium.
When Dan Choi announced on “The
Rachel Maddow Show” that he is
gay and serving in the U.S.
Army, he was discharged for
violating its
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”
policy. Choi, who unsuccessfully
appealed his case and is an
activist for equality issues.
Take part in Reconciling
Ministries Network and the
Methodist Federation for Social
Action's Love Your Neighbor
campaign in Northern Alabama by
joining us for this workshop on
Saturday, January 28, 9:30 AM -
2:30 PM, at First United
Methodist Church, Birmingham,
AL.
You are invited to gather to
learn tools for creating
inclusive communities and
hosting dialogue
to
work for a church and world
where all God's children -
lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender, and straight - are
celebrated.
Part of our time together will
focus on strategizing our
involvement in creating a more
inclusive United Methodist
Church at next summer's General
Conference by reaching out to
Northern Alabama's delegates
with stories as Reconciling
Methodists.
You will also hear from both
Matt Lacey, pastor of Woodlawn
UMC, and Joe Openshaw,
facilitator of a group at
Discovery UMC on homosexuality
and the church, about their
experiences bringing together
inclusive communities.
This workshop will provide a
perfect opportunity to learn
more about Reconciling
communities, to expand the reach
of inclusion in Northern
Alabama, and to think through
the many ways to be involved in
God's message of welcoming
affirmation for all.
Many of our local heroes
participated in the "Road to
Equality" program presented
across Alabama by the Human
Rights Campaign. ALGBTICAL
members Paul Hard, Jessica
Merchant, and Jeanell Norvell
joined the ranks of celebrities
like Mel White, John Smid, Jimmy
Creech, Lecia Brooks, David
Perkins, and Andrew Haigh.
The HRC Bus Tour visited
Montgomery, Tuscaloosa and
Birmingham. On its
Montgomery stop (Sunday, Oct
23), the documentary film, "This
is What Love in Action Looks
Like" was shown. A panel
discussion was presented
afterwards. For a
discussion on reparative
therapy, the panelists included:
Paul Hard (PhD, LPC-S, Assistant Professor
Auburn University at Montgomery,
Former Southern Baptist
Minister), Jeanell Norvell (PhD,
LPC, Counselor, Sole Proprietor
at Counseling at the
Crossroads), Jessica Merchant (ALC,
Association for LGBT Issues in
Counseling of Alabama, Founder
of University of Montevallo’s
Safe Zone program), John J. Smid
(Director for Grace Rivers
Ministry, Former Director of
Love in Action), Lecia Brooks (SPLC
Director of Outreach), Rev David
Perkins (Interim Rector, Church
of the Holy Comforter).
As
Glenda Elliott was quoted as
saying to Paul Hard concerning
the HRC event in Montgomery,
"Many thanks for sharing with us
the encouraging report on the
HRC Bus Tour event at AUM last
week. And, many thanks for
stepping out as the advisor to
the GSA and speaking out! I
think this past week was a good
week for the LGBT community and
allies here in Alabama!"
HRC COMING TO ALABAMA
Partnership with Equality Alabama
October 2011
On the Road to Equality... Learn... Engage... Celebrate... Advocate...
This fall, HRC is embarking on a bus tour across the country to promote equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people – and Alabama is one of the stops in the tour through the Midwest and South.
The Human Rights Campaign is pleased to be a part of Equality Alabama's Equality Week this October. Please join in and celebrate equality in Tuscaloosa, Birmingham, and Montgomery.
LEARN
Wednesday, October 19, Montgomery
Open House: HRC's Equality Bus Auburn University Montgomery
10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
East Parking Lot, East St., Montgomery, AL
Join HRC, Equality Alabama and the AUM GSA for an "On the Road to Equality" Open House. Come visit the HRC Bus and share what equality means to you.
ENGAGE
Thursday, October 20, Tuscaloosa
Open House: HRC Equality Bus and NOH8 Photoshoot University of Alabama
10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Outside the Gorgas House, Tuscaloosa, AL
Join HRC, Equality Alabama, NOH8 and SPECTRUM for an "On the Road to Equality" Open House and a NOH8 Photo Shoot. Come visit the HRC Bus and share what Equality means to you.
The Equality Bus Open House is free & open to the public. NOH8 photos are $40 each, or $25 per person for group shots. HRC will subsidize photos for the first 100 students: $25 for an individual or $10 per person in group shots.
CELEBRATE
Friday, October 21, Birmingham
Open House: HRC's Equality Bus and NOH8 Photoshoot University of Alabama at Birmingham
10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Concourse Area Plaza, Hill University Center, Birmingham, AL
Join HRC, Equality Alabama, and NOH8 for an "On the Road to Equality" Open House and a NOH8 Photo Shoot. Come visit the HRC Bus and share what Equality means to you.
The Equality Bus Open House is free & open to the public. NOH8 photos are $40 each, or $25 per person for group shots.
ADVOCATE
Saturday, October 22, Birmingham
Discussion and Q&A: Family, Faith & Acceptance: University of Alabama Birmingham
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon
Hill University Center Alumni Auditorium, Birmingham, AL
A new body of research posits that social acceptance is a key determinant of happiness and positive health outcomes. Parents everywhere want their children to grow up happy and healthy. But how can parents, family members and faith leaders reconcile their faith with the call to accept the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in their lives? In this exciting session, you'll hear how families and faith communities find themselves at a crossroads and how cultural dynamics affect different communities on this journey. Join us to help chart the course to a place of greater acceptance in the faith community.
With James Robinson, Executive Director, GLBT Advocacy & Youth Services; Rev. J.R. Finney, Senior Pastor, Covenant Community Church; Rev. Robert and Jeannie Graetz, Birmingham civil rights leader; and Tyler Martin, local LGBT youth. This panel will be moderated by Reverend MacArthur Flournoy and Karin Quimby of the Human Rights Campaign
This groundbreaking discussion is part of the Human Rights Campaign's On the Road to Equality nationwide tour and Equality Alabama's Equality Week and is co-sponsored by the University of Alabama at Birmingham Gay/Straight Student Alliance and Equality Alabama.
GAY? FINE BY ME T-Shirt Controversy
at Hoover High School
September 1, 2011
The SPLC praised officials at an Alabama high school today for restoring the right of a student to wear a T-shirt expressing acceptance of lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender people.
Sara Couvillon, a sophomore at Hoover High School, wore a t-shirt that said, “gay? fine by me.” School officials told her to change her shirt out of “concern for her safety," despite the fact that no one had made any threats.
At first, Hoover High School defended its decision to ban the pro-gay t-shirt.
This week, the Southern Poverty Law Center sent the school a letterletting them know this case would not be taken lightly:
Evidently, officials at your school told Sara that she could not wear the shirt because they were “concerned for her safety.” Yet, Sara did not experience any threats of violence, nor did the officials tell Sara that there were threats of violence against gay students from which disruption could have, or did, result. In fact, Sara had routinely worn the t-shirt during the previous school year without incident. Therefore, the officials’ stated reason for the censorship was unfounded and unsubstantiated.
Moreover, even if there are students who will act disruptively in reaction to Sara’s t-shirt, the school has a duty to punish the disruptive students, not to prohibit Sara’s speech...
By censoring Sara out of concern that other students would behave disruptively, your school has allowed those disruptive students to exercise a “heckler’s veto” over Sara’s free speech rights. The First Amendment does not permit such an outcome.
The principal, Don Hulin, responded:
“At Hoover High School, we have a tradition and practice of respecting the rights of students to exercise all of their constitutional entitlements.
We are fortunate to have a diversified student body and we work very diligently to encourage a culture of tolerance and understanding.
In the tradition of the United States Supreme Court case, Tinker v. Des Moines, students at Hoover High School exercise their First Amendment rights without restriction unless such expression disrupts the learning environment or disabuses the rights of others.
Our dress code at Hoover High School is designed to facilitate the learning environment that is so important to our school. The t-shirt at issue has not caused a substantial disruption and the student will be allowed to wear it.
Our focus has been and will be on the learning environment at Hoover High School.”
Alabama counselors are being
alerted to Senate Bill 46,
called the Health Care Rights of
Conscience Act. Section 5 and 6
lines 14 and 24 clearly include
counselors, faculty and students
in this bill, which allows
providers to refuse services to
individuals when the provider’s
values or beliefs conflict with
client needs.
Jeanell Norvell (2011/2012
ALGBTICAL President) sent a
letter to Senator Ross in
Montgomery opposing Senate Bill
46 and she is asking ALGBTICAL
members and ALCA counselors
statewide to do the same (by May
24).
House Bill 178 is similar in its
intent and also needs to be
opposed. Send your message
regarding HB 178 to your House
Representative.
Jeanell states, "As a Licensed
Professional Counselor and
counselor educator in the state
of Alabama, I can tell you, this
bill is not in line with the
American Counseling
Association’s Code of Ethics
which specifically states
counselors may not discriminate
against clients on the basis of
age, culture, disability,
ethnicity, race,
religion/spirituality, gender,
gender identity, sexual
orientation, marital
status/partnership, language
preference, socioeconomic status
or any basis proscribed by law.
In short counselors do not
discriminate against clients on
the basis of client
characteristics. As a
profession we are charged with
putting our clients needs ahead
of our own values and beliefs."
Jeanell further states, "I am
asking you to contact your
Senator directly by May 24th
when the session reconvenes and
ask him or her to oppose this
bill. I have attached both a
copy of the bill for you and a
copy of the letter I personally
sent to my senator. Please do
not use the same letter I sent.
Make your language personal.
Yes, we will be addressing the
issue as an organization and
working with ALCA and other
divisions. However, your
personal involvement by
contacting your senator is
extremely important."
Message From
Melanie Drake Wallace, ALCA
President 2011-2012
Regarding SB 46 "Health Care
Rights of Conscience Act"
I am writing to encourage you to
write a letter to the state
senator in your district and
request them to oppose SB 46,
sponsored by Senator Cam Ward.
The time is now to speak up on
behalf of the counseling
profession in Alabama. Some of
the tenets set forth in the
aforementioned bill are in
direct violation of the ACA
Code of Ethics and the
ASCA Ethical Standards. SB
46 would allow health care
providers, institutions, and
payers the right to decline to
provide services that violate
the provider's conscience
(conscience is defined in the
bill as "the
religious, moral, or ethical
principles held by a health care
provider ....").
By
contrast, counselors are trained
to set aside personal beliefs
and values in order to meet the
client where he or she may be
coming from. Multicultural
competency – the ability to work
with a client based on the
client's particular beliefs,
values, and spirituality – is a
core skill required of all
counselors. The Alabama Board
of Examiner’s in Counseling,
which oversees the profession of
counseling in the state,
requires licensees to abide by
the ACA Code of Ethics.
The Code of Ethics
states “[t] he primary
responsibility of counselors is
to respect the dignity and to
promote the welfare of clients”
(Section A. law). Counselors
and counselors-in-training are
included in this bill.
It is critical that we voice
our opposition to this bill.
I am asking you to speak up by
writing your Alabama state
senator immediately and ask them
to oppose SB 46.
Remember, YOU CAN make a
difference. State legislators
say it only takes about 12
letters or phone calls to get
their attention on an issue.
That means that your single
phone call or letter really can
make a profound difference.
Here is what you can do:
1. Download the attached sample
letter and personalize it by
stating who you are and describe
in your own words why opposition
to this bill is important to
you. Include your name and
contact information. If you
send your letter by email, be
sure and follow it up with a
hard copy via snail mail!
2. Identify the names and
addresses of the state senator
and state representative of your
district. See link below.
Thank you all for your efforts
in speaking up for our
profession!
For inquiring
minds seeking current news from
around the state of Alabama
related to LGBT issues, the Gay
in Alabama website is an
interesting and entertaining
on-line resource. Relevant
information is presented in such
categories as congress, college,
events, arts, entertainment,
health, history, humor,
military, politics, religion,
marriage, and more.
The Southern Poverty Law Center
Film "Bullied" was
shown on the Auburn University
Montgomery campus on Wednesday,
October 20, 2010. Over 200
people were in attendance
despite some protests in the
days leading up to the film's
showing. The
film presentation was sponsored
by the AUM Gay Straight Alliance
and various AUM student
organizations. Sponsors include
Chi Sigma Iota Counseling honor
Society, AUM Student Life,
American Humanics, and the SPLC.
STONEWALL UPRISING UAB Presents
Film About Historical LGBT Event
The University of Alabama at
Birmingham (UAB) presented the film, "Stonewall Uprising," on
Wednesday, September 22, 2010. The showing was sponsored by UAB
Safe Zone.
This new documentary film, by Kate Davis
and David Heilbroner, was first shown in June 2010. It recounts
the June 1969 police raid on the Stonewall gay bar in Greenwich Village
that led to three days of violence. In that confrontation that
surprised police, suddenly militant gays simply had enough and fought
back and won. It was, as one participant describes it here, their
"Rosa Parks moment."
The New York Times calls the Stonewall
incident "the turning point in gay rights history." This film
methodically provides historical context for the events, supplying ample
evidence of the discrimination against gays and lesbians at the time.
Mike Wallace probably will be none too happy about an excerpt from a
1966 "CBS Reports" news special in which he declares that "the average
homosexual is promiscuous and not interested in, nor capable of, a
lasting relationship."
There also are accounts of electro-shock aversion therapy administered
to homosexuals, as well as a drug given at a California mental hospital
that is described as "chemical waterboarding."
But the heart of the film is the accounts of the riots, with commentary
by such figures as former Village Voice journalists Howard Smith and
Lucian Truscott IV (the paper's offices were virtually next door at the
time), several of the people who participated in the uprising,
commentators including former New York Mayor Ed Koch and playwright
Doric Wilson and even the former NYPD inspector who led the raid. The
cop, Seymour Pine, clearly was shocked by the violent resistance they
encountered, describing the proceedings as a "real war."
There have been several significant films documenting the struggle for
gay civil rights, including "Before Stonewall" and "After Stonewall."
"Stonewall Uprising" skillfully fills the gap in between.
GAY IN ALABAMA Gay Acceptance Beginning to Grow
Deep
In Dixie Gay Acceptance Beginning To Grow
by David Crary /
Associated Press /
May 20, 2006
Alabama... It's a Bible Belt state, almost certain to toughen its
prohibition of gay marriage next month. A major candidate for governor
has called homosexuality evil, and a national gay magazine branded
Alabama the worst state for gays and lesbians.
So why does Howard Bayless want to stay?
Well,
his roots are here, he says. So are his friends. He's partial to the
congenial neighborhood in Birmingham that he and other gays helped
rescue from decline.
"This
is where I've carved out a niche for myself,'' says Bayless, leader of
Equality Alabama, who has spent most of his 40 years in the state.
``We've created our community here, and I don't want to leave. I'd
rather do the extra work of making my neighbors realize who and what I
am.''
In
Mobile, Tuscaloosa and elsewhere, Alabama's gays and lesbians - like
their counterparts throughout the U.S. heartland - are slowly, steadily
gaining more confidence and finding more acceptance.
That doesn't mean relations between gays and other Americans are
settled, for one thing, amendments defining marriage as between one man
and one woman have passed in 19 states and Alabama is poised to become
No. 20 by an overwhelming vote on June 6.
But
in the long view, there has been slow, powerful momentum building in the
other direction: the quashing of anti-sodomy laws; the extension of
anti-bias codes to cover gays; the adoption of domestic-partner policies
by countless companies. Recent polls suggest opposition to gay marriage
has peaked, and a proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution banning it
is expected to fall far short of the required two-thirds support when
the Senate votes on it in early June.
"What
Americans see increasingly is there's no negative impact on their own
lives to have gays and lesbians living out in the open,'' said Joe
Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign. ``They go from an
abstract idea to a real person with a real name and a real story. That
makes all the difference.''
Kim
McKeand and Cari Searcy experience that phenomenon daily in Mobile,
where they live openly as a lesbian couple raising a son to whom McKeand
gave birth in September.
"We're out to everybody,'' said Searcy, 30. "We know all the neighbors.
Everyone else on our street is straight. They say `Hey.' They all wanted
to come over and see the baby.''
The
couple loves Mobile _ but might consider leaving if Searcy's application
to become Khaya's adoptive parent is rejected in the courts.
Those
courts weren't accommodating to social worker Jill Bates, who lives in
Birmingham with her lesbian partner. She lost custody of her daughter,
now 16, to her ex-husband after a legal battle in which her sexual
orientation was held against her.
Still, there are other signs of acceptance. An openly lesbian candidate,
Patricia Todd, has a strong chance of winning a seat in Alabama's
legislature this year - that would be a first. Mobile's recent Pride
Parade drew only a handful of protesters. Gay-straight alliances are
active at most universities; in the cities, if not the suburbs and small
towns, gay-friendly churches are proliferating.
As
acceptance increases, so do the concerns of those who believe
homosexuality is sinful and wonder if states like Alabama can resist
what some have called the erosion of traditional values.
Donna
Goodwin, a school board employee in the town of Eclectic, disputes the
theory that familiarity with gays leads to support of gay rights.
"I
have a lesbian cousin - I can continue to love her without approving of
the way she leads her life,'' Goodwin said. "We see each other three or
four times a year. We hug. We find out how each other is doing _ but I
don't ask her about her girlfriend.'' Goodwin says most Alabamians,
however conservative, strive for civility.
"We
believe in hospitality - being kind to people whether you approve of
their lifestyle or not,'' she said. "But the homosexual community is
trying to force us into accepting something that's immoral. If they try
to do that, we're going to consolidate and do something about it at the
ballot box. We can say, `This far and no farther.' ''
One
development that worries her is the increased visibility of gay rights
causes at Alabama's colleges, including the University of Alabama, which
her son attended.
"The
university breaks down the moral values of children,'' she said. ``It's
like an open door to whatever is popular at the time _ a hang-loose,
do-your-own-thing attitude. It's asking for trouble.''
At
the campus in Tuscaloosa, political science department chairman David
Lanoue doesn't see the kind of sweeping, pro-gay culture some may fear.
But he does see young Alabamians getting messages they might not get at
their local high schools and churches.
For
example, he said, numerous faculty members display rainbow symbols at
their offices, signalling they would provide an empathetic ear to any
troubled gay or lesbian student.
"Young
people have a more liberal attitude toward sexual preference than their
elders,'' Lanoue said. ``Through the national media, they've been
brought up on the message that gays and lesbians are part of our
society.''
Patty
Rudolph, wife of a doctor in the affluent Birmingham suburb of Mountain
Brook, said her son knew by age 12 that he was gay, told his family when
he was 14, and by 16 choose to go to school in the northeast because he
felt _ despite his family's support _ that Alabama was too inhospitable.
The
son is now 18 and returns home periodically, reconnecting with friends
and family.
"He
loves to see us, but after a couple of days he says, `I need to get out
of here,' '' Rudolph said. ``There's no overt ugliness.
But
he has a sense it isn't as open and welcoming a place as he wants it to
be.''
Since
her son left, Rudolph has plunged into a new world of activism, doing
what she can to make Alabama a state he would one day want to stay in.
She speaks at forums and heads the Birmingham chapter of a national
support group, Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays.
"By
telling my family's story, it has a ripple effect. It humanizes the
issue,'' she said.
Activists say the sternest anti-gay rhetoric comes mainly from
evangelical pastors and politicians. Among them is Republican
gubernatorial candidate Roy Moore, who was ousted as state chief justice
after refusing to remove a Ten Commandments monument he had placed in
the judicial building.
Moore
has many fans and many critics, including Birmingham city councillor
Valerie Abbott. After the judge wrote in a court ruling that homosexual
conduct is ``abhorrent, immoral, detestable,'' Abbott persuaded the
council to condemn those assertions.
"Our
legislature is like no other place on earth _ it's stuck back in the
dark ages,'' she said. ``But Alabama is changing, like the rest of the
country is changing. Like every new idea, it takes a while to absorb.''
Rev.
Jim Evans, a Baptist minister in Auburn, received numerous thank-you
notes from gay-rights supporters after he wrote a newspaper column
criticizing the ban-gay-marriage ballot item as an unnecessary and
cynical attempt to frighten voters.
Evans
hasn't endorsed gay marriage, and he knows opposition to it is
deep-seated. But he also sees change coming as Alabamians such as
Bayless, Searcy and Rudolph expand the conversation about gays' place in
the state.
"In
the South, where we don't talk about unpleasant things, that trend has
forced us to talk about it more,'' Evans said. "Once you begin to talk
about a prejudice, it begins to die.''
"In
the South, where
we don't talk about
unpleasant things, that
trend has forced us to
talk about it more.
Once you begin to talk
about a prejudice,
it begins to die.''
-REV. JIM EVANS
"It is discouraging
when we think about
the current environment
against gays in our state,
but I have to believe that
somewhere in our
court system there are
still fair-minded judges."
-CARI SEARCY
SOUL FOOD
Story From Lesbian Feminist
Yankee
How UAB Nourished
the Life & Work of a Lesbian Feminist Yankee
Dr. Mischelle Stone
The decision my partner and I made in 2004 to leave our home
and jobs in Michigan so that I could take a job at UAB was
not an easy one to make. I had lived in Michigan all of my
life, and Jean, my partner of nearly twenty years, had lived
there for eighteen. Just a month before making the decision
to move, I had interviewed over two days with the faculty
and staff in the Department of Justice Sciences for a
faculty position teaching criminal justice courses. Though
I thought the interview went well, I never in my wildest
dreams thought I would be living and working in the
heartland of the South at age fifty-one.
If there was a single factor that drew me to the UAB campus,
it was the warm welcome I received from the members of the
Department of Justice Sciences. Though I traveled to the
interview by myself, it was clear from my initial
interactions with department members that I was a lesbian
and, if offered the position, would be moving to the
Birmingham area with my partner. If there was objection or
resistance to this, I had no inclination of it either during
or after the interview. In fact, department members were
quick to inquire about my partner, asking what she did for
work and what her other interests were. Nearly everyone
shared information about where they lived, and why they
thought their particular neighborhood would be a good place
for Jean and me to live. I came away from the interview
feeling welcomed and wanting to know more about UAB and the
Birmingham area.
When I returned to Michigan following my interview, I began
to explore the UAB website for indications that the broader
University would be as welcoming as I knew the people of
Justice Sciences to be. This was an important issue for me
and my partner, as we had long-established relationships in
Michigan that supported us in many aspects of our lives.
Coming to UAB would mean leaving the day-to-day support of
those relationships behind in favor of living and working in
a different culture. I cannot overstate the challenge we
felt moving to an area of the country that was so culturally
different from our own, where we knew virtually no one, and
where the differences in regional dialects were evident in
each and every interaction we had.
In our search of the UAB website, we discovered the
spouse/partner relocation program within Human Resources.
Jean made e-mail contact with the program, and was provided
with a substantial amount of information and guidance
regarding potential employment opportunities at UAB, as well
as at a variety of hospitals in the surrounding area (Jean
is an R.N.). Utilizing this information, Jean was able to
secure an interview and subsequent employment within weeks
of my being offered the position at UAB. When she was asked
by the human resources manager at the hospital where she
works what brought her to Alabama, she reported that her
partner had taken a job teaching at UAB, and that “she”
would be teaching criminal justice.
In addition to finding the spouse/partner relocation program
on the UAB website, we also found the Safe Zone program.
This program, along with the “mandatory” diversity training
for all employees were important symbols of UAB’s commitment
to creating a diverse environment for all students, faculty
and staff. We also found reference to the Gay/Straight
Student Alliance (of which I am currently a co-advisor), and
we were both encouraged to see a formal student organization
addressing the needs of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and
Transgender (GLBT) students on campus. In addition we found
reference (albeit somewhat remote) to the Faculty/Staff
Alliance, an organization that addresses concerns of GLBT
faculty and staff. Early participation in all of these
organizations at UAB served to provide me with a “home” that
other organizations on campus could not, and each, in their
own way, has nurtured my body, soul, and mind. All three of
these organizations have served to connect me to diverse
individuals who share similar concerns about living and
working as a lesbian in the south, where the GLBT population
has been slow to gain the same rights afforded other
minority populations.
Despite being nourished by my involvement in Safe Zone, GSSA,
and the Faculty/Staff Alliance, I remain struck by what
isn’t present at UAB, despite consistent reference by the
University administration to the importance of a diverse
campus. Noticeably absent from the menu of benefits
available to me as a faculty member is the availability of
insurance coverage for my partner. Even though we have been
in a committed relationship as long as or longer than anyone
else in our department, we are still denied the right to
have her covered as an Other Eligible Individual under my
health insurance policy. Since Alabama is a state that
fails to recognize the legality of our relationship by not
allowing us to wed, she cannot be considered a “spouse” and
is therefore denied eligibility for coverage that other
faculty spouses are provided. While some may believe that
this is simply an example of indifference on the part of UAB
administrators, I believe it sends a clear message of
inequality. Thus, no matter that employees are required to
attend mandatory diversity training; we are either committed
to treat all people with the respect and dignity they
deserve, or we are not.
Similar to the lack of equal access to benefits, I am
concerned about the lack of a Center for GLBT students.
Recognizing the unique challenges faced by GLBT students,
many other tier one research universities provide a central
location that serves as an educational and referral source
for the University. It also serves as a safe space where
GLBT students are free to gather and express themselves as
they attempt to reach their full potential as students, and
in a broader sense, as human beings. Given the
discrimination and prejudice GLBT students experience simply
because of who they are, the importance of such a space
cannot be overstated.
Three years have now passed since I first came to UAB.
Maybe it is I who has made the adjustments that make living
in the south not just bearable but enjoyable. For example,
when I first arrived in Birmingham, it was always a mystery
what I would end up with in my order at the drive through at
Taco Bell. No matter how clearly I said “Two soft tacos
deluxe, no meat, extra tomato”, I always came away with
something different each time I ordered. Ordering at the
counter inside made no difference. It has taken me three
years and maybe just the hint of an Alabama accent, but I
can finally get the order the way I prefer it. And although
I still haven’t developed my ear well enough to understand
what it is going to cost me, I am confident that, in the
end, it will be without meat, just the way I ordered it. I
say if the staff at Taco Bell and I can come to some middle
ground on how to get fed, surely UAB administrators and I
can continue to work toward a solution to the hunger I feel
for equitable treatment for all GLBT faculty, staff and
students.
(Article reprinted by permission of the author.
Mischelle Stone is a Professor in the UAB Justice Sciences
Dept.)
GAY ADOPTION IN ALABAMA Same Sex Pair Seek Court Okay to
Adopt
A Mobile woman raising a baby boy with the child's mother wants to adopt
him as a second parent, a legal step of significance in a state that
just passed a constitutional amendment banning gay marriages.
Cari Searcy's
partner, Kim McKeand, gave birth to the baby boy in December with the
aid of a donor. Searcy then sought to become the adoptive parent of the
child, who bears her last name. Adoption would give Searcy rights to
make medical decisions for the child as well as securing the sense of
family in their home.
But Searcy's application was denied in probate court May 3. McKeand said
the judge ruled against adoption because Alabama does not recognize
same-sex marriages. She said their case is now going to the Alabama
Court of Civil Appeals.
Cari Searcy (left) and Kim McKeand
with Khaya Ray Searcy in Mobile
"We're going to do whatever we can to get it passed here," Searcy said.
"It is discouraging when we think about the current environment against
gays in our state, but I have to believe that somewhere in our court
system there are still fair-minded judges."
McKeand, 28, and Searcy, 30, who met at college in Texas and moved to
Mobile five years ago, have real concerns about the medical care of the
baby, Khaya Ray Searcy. The child was born with a hole in his heart and
the first weeks were difficult.
"He had to have open heart
surgery in Atlanta and we ran into some issues with my not being a legal
parent," Searcy said. "It was really hard."
McKeand said she had to
learn how to insert a feeding tube in Khaya's nose before they could
bring him home from the hospital. Because she didn't feel comfortable
doing the procedure, Searcy volunteered to learn.
But the nurses would not
teach her.
"They said, 'No, you're not the parent, Kim is,' " McKeand said.
"Finally it took our doctor — the cardiologist — to step in and say it
was OK."
Khaya now has a clean bill
of health, but the couple has not forgotten the experience.
"That's what really pushed me to get this second parent adoption," said
Searcy.
Wide impact...
The legal resolution of
the court case might have a wide impact — according to 2000 census data,
there are gay families in every county in the state. And the issue is
not confined to Alabama.
"It's happening all over the country," said Adam Pertman, executive
director of the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute.
"It's happening because the agencies responsible for those kids have
decided that the gay and lesbian population is one worth placing kids."
The New York-based
institute, which is not affiliated with any gay rights organizations,
released a report in March that found there is no child-centered reason
to prevent gays and lesbians from becoming adoptive parents.
"Research shows gay and lesbian parents provide good homes," Pertman
said.
Support for children...
He said the community
should support the children no matter what kind of family they grow up
in.
"Bringing our views or prejudices on the kids is not productive," he
said. "The community should support a system that places kids in
permanent, safe and loving homes. We have to support that for the sake
of the kids."
The American Academy of
Pediatrics supports legislation and legal efforts to provide
second-parent adoptions by same-sex parents. The Alabama chapter of the
academy believes all children benefit from being raised by caregivers
who are constant, dependable, loving and dedicated to children's safety.
According to an article in the July edition of Pediatrics, in early 2006
efforts were under way in at least 16 states including Alabama to
introduce constitutional amendments prohibiting gay and lesbian
individuals and couples from adopting children or being foster parents.
"Same-sex parenting is a controversial issue in our country," Linda Lee,
executive director of the Alabama chapter, said. "Our main concern is
that children, regardless of the circumstances in which they live,
receive the best of care."
Two parents better...
Jonathan Klein, associate
professor of pediatrics at the University of Rochester in New York,
contributed to the July article and is the chair of the AAP Committee on
Adolescence.
"I think evidence on the developmental outcome of children shows that,
overall, two parents are probably better than one," Klein said.
He also said that parents
with established legal custody have a variety of benefits that isn't
always available to same-sex couples even if they're playing that role
in a child's life.
"I think if parents are not able to be involved in all aspects of their
communities because of a community's attitudes, that potentially damages
families," Klein said.
Searcy and McKeand talked about being parents, but it wasn't until about
a year ago that they felt it was the right time.
"We found a donor who is a
really good friend of ours and he signed over all his rights," Searcy
said.
They enjoy a measure of acceptance in Mobile. Searcy works for a video
production company and McKeand works for a broadcaster that provides
domestic partner health benefits covering them both.
"Our home is a normal
one," said Searcy.
"It's filled with love, commitment and support. Our sexual orientation
is just a small part of who we are. Kim and I are dedicated to giving
Khaya the best life possible and we're going to do what it takes to do
that."
By Amanda
Thomas / Associated Press Writer
ANTI-GAY BIAS IN ALABAMA SCHOOLS Incident at
Dothan Middle School
The lesbian mother of a
12-year-old girl has objected to a sex education pamphlet handed out at
a Dothan middle school that describes homosexuality as not being a
"legitimate lifestyle."
The pamphlet, titled "The Top 10 Questions Teenagers Ask about Sex," was
distributed in March as part of a three-day program at Honeysuckle
Middle School. Angela Williams, whose 12-year-old daughter brought it
home, approved of much of it, including its abstinence guidance, but not
the pamphlet's view of homosexuality.
"I got to question eight and my jaw dropped," she told The Dothan Eagle
in a story Tuesday. "I can't believe they went there."
Question No. 8 is: "What can I do if I am attracted to someone of the
same sex?" The answer includes the statement: "Too often, homosexuality
is shown as a legitimate lifestyle equal to a heterosexual lifestyle."
It also says homosexuality is "contrary to the laws of nature."
"It's a good program," said Honeysuckle Principal Patsy Slaughter. "But
that's not to say that it can't be reviewed - and that's what we're
going to do."
The pamphlet, printed in 2005, was written by Molly Kelly and Mark
Houck, who speak widely to teenagers about saving sex for marriage.
Their speaking engagements are provided through Generation Life, an
Oreland, Pa.-based organization that opposes abortion and promotes
chastity.
The pamphlet was included in the program taught by representatives of
Crossroads, which was approved by the Dothan City School Board and has
been used in Dothan schools for about 15 years. But Steve Stokes,
chairman of the board, told the newspaper that the current board has not
yet had the opportunity to vote on the program now in place. He said he
did not consider it appropriate for his children.
Slaughter said the program involves character education as well as sex
education and is meant to help adolescents deal with changes they are
experiencing at their age. Parents must sign a consent form for students
to participate, and some of the material is available for review at the
school.
Paul Carnes, the Dothan coordinator of Equality Alabama, a gay and
lesbian group that focuses on issues affecting homosexuals, said the
organization is following the Honeysuckle Middle School matter.
ALABAMA ATTORNEY
GENERAL CAUGHT
Troy
King Sex Scandal
Alabama Attorney
General Caught in
Gay Sex Scandal
Alabama Attorney
General Troy
King found
himself in the
midst of a gay sex
scandal after
reports began to
circulate that he
was busted having
sex with a male
assistant by his
wife, Paige
King, in
the couple's own
bed.
Reports began
hitting the news
wires that Troy
King, a conservative
Christian Republican
who has called
homosexuality the
"downfall of
society," may be on
the way to resigning
his post as Alabama
Attorney General
over a gay sex
scandal.
After being caught
having sex with his
male aide by his
wife, Troy King was
reportedly banished
from his home in
Montgomery by his
infuriated spouse,
according to
PerezHilton.com.
So far, King's
office has denied
the rumors of the
affair and state the
Alabama Attorney
General has no plans
to resign from his
post.
As a law student at
the University of
Alabama, King wrote
frequent editorials
for
The Crimson White
in condemnation of
gays, affirmative
action and abortion.
In his editorials
for the student
newspaper, King
called homosexuality
the 'downfall of
society' and said
AIDS could be
cleansed from
America if "this
nation's current
purveyors of
perversion would
refrain from
committing sodomy."
A legislative committee voted largely along party lines Wednesday to
expand Alabama's hate crimes law to cover crimes committed because of
the victim's sexual orientation. But some Republicans are determined to
make sure the legislation goes no further in this election year.
Rep. Cam Ward, R-Alabaster, said House Republican leaders have agreed
"to lock down the House" if the bill comes up for debate. "And we've got
the votes to do it," he said.
On Wednesday, the House Judiciary Committee held a lively debate on the
hate crime legislation, with the remarks covering everything from the
Holocaust to capital punishment. Some Republican representatives talked
against the legislation proposed by Rep. Alvin Holmes, D-Montgomery, but
they didn't ask for a roll call vote.
The committee had a sharply divided voice vote that broke down largely
along party lines, and committee Chairman Marcel Black, D-Tuscumbia,
declared the bill approved. Holmes said he expected a close vote, but he
believes he can muster enough support in the House to pass his bill.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham,
said that if the House passes the bill, he expects his committee to
approve it, but the prospects in the Senate for passage are uncertain
this year.
All seats in the Alabama Legislature are up for election.
The Legislature passed a hate crimes law in 1994 after turning back
efforts to include sexual orientation in it. The law mandates longer
minimum sentences for crimes committed because of the victim's race,
color, religion, national origin, ethnicity, or physical or mental
disability.
For instance, a crime that would normally carry a sentence of one to 10
years in prison would have a minimum sentence of two years in prison.
In 1999, Holmes began another push to add sexual orientation to the law
because of the killings of Matthew Shepard in Wyoming and Billy Jack
Gaither in Alabama. Since 1999, the House Judiciary Committee has
approved Holmes' bill several times, and the House a few times, but it
has never won Senate approval.
Ward said he has problems with hate crime laws. "We are giving certain
victims higher status than others. I consider a victim a victim," he
said.
Holmes said the Legislature has long differentiated between different
types of crime victims. For instance, Alabama's death penalty law
applies to the killing of a public official if the killing was related
to the official's public office, he said.
Larry Darby, founder of the Atheist Law Center in Montgomery and a
Democratic candidate for attorney general, urged the committee to kill
the bill because similar laws in other countries have been used to
prevent free speech. He cited British historian David Irving, who is in
jail in Austria awaiting trial on charges of denying that Nazis
slaughtered 6 million Jews. Denying or diminishing the Holocaust is a
crime in Austria punishable by up to 10 yeas in prison.
"Irving's findings are counter to the government-sanctioned version of
what is called the Holocaust. The Holocaust has evolved into a religious
industry with sacred precepts that are examined only under the penalty
of law. Free speech is anathema to the Holocaust industry," Darby said.
Some committee members ridiculed Darby's remarks. "I hear the black
helicopters coming," quipped Rep. Dick Brewbaker, R-Montgomery.
Holmes said he was uncertain what would happen to his bill until Darby
spoke against it, but his remarks cinched the favorable vote.
Forty-eight states had hate crime laws before the Georgia Supreme Court
struck down Georgia's law in 2004 as being unconstitutionally vague.
Georgia's law, like Alabama's, did not cover sexual orientation.
ALABAMA'S NEW LAW Hate Crimes Bill
Includes Sexual Orientation
Legislator
Pushes Adding Sexual Orientation to Hate Crime Bill
By
Crystal
Bonvillian / Montgomery
Advertiser
In response to the unrelated
beatings of two gay men, a state legislator has proposed amending
Alabama's hate crime statute to include sexual orientation.
Rep. Alvin Holmes, D-Montgomery, submitted his proposal last week, more
than a month before the 2006 legislative session begins. The move means
the bill could come before a committee as soon as the first day after
the session's opening day, according to House Clerk Greg Pappas.
Holmes described the recent attacks as "modern-day lynchings." One of
the men, 80-year-old James Oliver Bailey of Elmore County, died. The
other, Billy Sanford, 52, of Montgomery remains in a coma.
"They've got certain people in this country and in the state of Alabama
who hate people because they are gay," Holmes said. "They could be
church-going people or the greatest humanitarians in the world but,
because they are gay, people hate them."
In both cases, the suspects told police they beat Bailey and Sanford
because the men made sexual advances toward them.
"You don't do that in America," Holmes said. "Unless we do something to
send a message to these people who commit hate crimes, it is going to
keep getting worse and worse."
Opponents of hate crime laws contend they have little impact on
sentencing and magnify the gap between different groups. Already, the
state law covers crimes motivated by a victim's race, color, religion,
national origin, ethnicity or physical or mental disability.
"To start saying that some people are more valuable to society than
others ... I think the law separates us from each other," said Baldwin
County District Attorney David Whetstone, who is prosecuting three
suspects in the 2004 death of a gay teenager.
Scotty Joe Weaver, 18, was beaten, stabbed, strangled and his body
burned in woods near his Bay Minette home.
"In my opinion we do not need hate crime laws -- what we need to do is
prosecute hate crimes," Whetstone said.
Gay rights groups in Alabama are confident the three cases will prompt
the Legislature to approve a sexual orientation amendment, an effort
that failed the last two regular sessions.
"I think it's a matter of time," said Norma Mitchell, president of the
Montgomery Gay and Lesbian Association. "I think this year we have a
very good chance because the recent occurrences since 2004 show how much
hatred is there."
(The Associated Press
contributed to this report)
NEW HATE CRIMES BILL
How Alabama Counselors Can Help
Message from Equality Alabama
This legislative
session, we have a bill introduced on our behalf by our longtime Friends
and Supporters:
Representative Alvin Holmes (Montgomery)
and Senator Hank Sanders (Selma).
HB57(Holmes)/SB227 (Sanders).
House Bill 57 PASSES Judiciary Committee on
1/18/06 - The next step for this bill after the second reading is the
Rules Committee! The Senate Bill is still in the Judiciary Committee.
They
have introduced a bill to add "sexual orientation" to Alabama's current
hate crimes law. The introduction of the bill is the first step of many
that we will need to accomplish to help this bill become law. We will
ALL have to work together to try to make this a reality!
The first thing that we need to do is talk to the members of the
committees. When a bill is introduced it is assigned a committee. That
committee will review the bill and do one of three things 1. Send to the
rules committee with a favorable vote, 2. Vote the bill down 3. Table
the bill. We need number one to happen!
How can we do that?
We must have lots of conversations. We are including the members of the
committees their addresses and phone numbers. If you live in their
district you need to meet with them (in person is always best!!!) and
talk to them about supporting this legislation!!!
If you don't live in their district do you know someone who does? Offer
to go with them to meet with their legislator about this bill, sometimes
if you support someone in doing this it makes it easier for them to do
it!
Another thing that is helpful can be to write a personal letter (no FORM
letters!). Tell the legislator how this bill is important to you and
how you think it will benefit you and make the state a better place to
live.
Another helpful thing would be to have a letter writing party for your
friends who do not feel ok with meeting with their legislator! Make
sure that letters are handwritten and personal to each legislator! And
remember you attract more flies with honey than vinegar. Our messages
need to be nonjudgmental and non-critical!
Let us know if you get a positive response from your legislator! We will
be there the day the committee talks about the bill and we can help
remind them of conversations they had with constituents! E-mail us at
equalityalabama@equalityalabama.org
so we can track our progress.
Equality Alabama will update you on the next step in this process once
we have made it out of committee. Watch for updates as sometimes things
move very quickly...
The other thing that you can do to help is donate money and your time to
Equality Alabama! We need resources to help educate the people of this
state to change their hearts and minds! By working together we can do
this! It is possible but it will take time, energy and resources!!!!!
Join with us and make this a reality!!!!!
HATE CRIMES LAW
Must Cover Gays & Lesbians
Montgomery
Advertiser, Editorial, Jan 25, 2006
Despite the opposition of a few diehards, it is difficult to believe
that all of the Republican members of Alabama's House of
Representatives would "lock down the House" to keep sexual
orientation from being added to the state's hate crimes law.
Surely not all Republican House members are as adamantly opposed to
protecting people from being physically attacked because of their
sexual orientation as Rep. Cam Ward, R-Alabaster.
The Associated Press quoted Ward as saying that the House GOP
leadership had the votes to complete ly block any action in the
House to prevent the state's hate crimes law from being expanded to
cover sexual orientation.
Wednesday, the House Judiciary Committee approved a bill sponsored
by Montgomery Democrat Alvin Holmes that would add sexual
orientation to the hate crimes law.
The current hate crimes law increases the penalties for attacks that
are based on the victim's "race, color, religion, national origin,
ethnicity or physical or mental disability." Glaringly absent from
that list is the victim's sexual orientation.
Ward and those who seem to fear this expansion need to take a deep
breath and relax. Nothing in Holmes' bill in any way condones or
promotes homosexuality. It simply underscores that it is wrong for
anyone to attack someone else because they might be gay.
"We are giving certain victims higher status than others. I consider
a victim a victim," Ward told the Associated Press.
But this bill is not about having a hate crimes law; Alabama already
has one, which Ward knows full well. What Ward needs to explain is
why be believes it is any less a hate crime to attack or kill
someone because of their sexual orientation than because they are
black or Jewish? And why does he feel so strongly that he would
threaten to "lock down the House" to prevent this bill from passing?
If Alabama is going to have a hate crimes law, and it should, there
is absolutely no logic to that law not including hate crimes linked
to someone's sexual orientation.
By excluding sexual orientation, it is almost as if the legislators
are somehow condoning attacks on gays. That is not a message House
Republicans should send by going along with Ward's threat.
END LAW AGAINST HATE
CRIME
Do Not Simply Amend It
Mobile Register, Editorial,
Monday, January 23, 2006
SOME BAD ideas just refuse to die. Such is the case with
the perennial proposal to expand Alabama's "hate crimes" law to
include stronger sentences against malefactors who target
victims because of the victims' sexual orientation.
Instead of expanding the state's hate crimes law, legislators
ought to gut it.
Two
different concepts are covered by the term "hate crimes." One is
an act where the crime itself is the dangerous expression of
hate, such as spray-painting a swastika on a synagogue. The
threatening nature of such an act is obvious, and because of the
threat it differs in kind from ordinary graffiti. Imposing
special, severe penalties for such actions is reasonable.
But that's not what this bill would cover. Instead, the hate
crimes statute imposes stiffer penalties for violence committed
against a specially protected class than it does for the same
violence against somebody not seen as needing special
protections.
But a mugging victim is a mugging victim, no matter why the
mugger does his deed. Imposing stiffer penalties against
somebody who mugs a member of an ethnic or religious minority
punishes not the crime, but the supposed bias behind it.
Last we checked, though, "thought crimes" were supposed to be
the province not of free countries but of totalitarian states.
And in the case of "hate crimes," the extra penalties also
effectively tell non-specially protected victims that they are
worthy of less-than-equal protection under the law.
The House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday voted in favor of
adding "sexual orientation" to the classes protected under the
state's hate crimes law. But the question shouldn't be whether
homosexuals should be free from discrimination; the question
should be whether any victims should be treated as lesser
victims than others.
And the answer, not just for homosexuals but for all "protected"
classes, should be "no."
