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LGBT PRIDE TO BE CELEBRATED IN WEST HOLLYWOOD JUNE 6 - 8
OIA Newswire
WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA (May 2008) – The 2008 Los Angeles LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Transgender) Pride Festival will take place in West Hollywood, CA on June 6 – 8, 2008. The 38th annual parade and festival, which happens along Santa Monica Boulevard and throughout West Hollywood Park, celebrates the culmination of its three-year theme, "Our Agenda: Love. Equality. PRIDE." LA Pride's 2008 message is about taking pride in who you are, your family, your community, and the world around you. During Pride weekend, locals and visitors can expect to enjoy a parade, vendor booths, food, exhibits, dance pavilions and live entertainment.
Produced by Christopher Street West (CSW; a non-profit organization), the annual three-day event is one of the largest Pride Celebrations in the United States and occurs annually in West Hollywood, a city that celebrates pride daily and is home to Southern California's largest gay and lesbian population. Since its incorporation in 1984, the young, vibrant City of West Hollywood "lives forward" and is continually recognized as a leader in gay and lesbian rights.
LA Pride breaks new ground with an entertainment line-up on the WaMu® Mainstage, and a myriad of LGBT community favorites. Musicians Joss Stone, Olivia Newton-John, and Kimberly Locke will headline the event on Saturday and Sunday night. Festival-goers will see the inclusion of over a dozen of CSW's cultural partners and theatrical organizations who have joined in support of the LGBT community. The Parade Grandstand will once again accommodate Honorees, LGBT leaders, officials, and VIP guests and will be set alongside the broadcast at the Veterans Memorial triangle. The 2008 parade will take place Sunday, June 8, starting at 11:00 a.m. The parade will run west along Santa Monica Boulevard from Crescent Heights Boulevard to Robertson Boulevard.
New this year, LA Pride announces the first "Silent Celebration" taking place at 12 Noon on Sunday, June 8, where a moment of silence will be shared by nearly 400,000 parade goers. The moment of silence offers everyone an opportunity to commemorate those who are no longer with us – brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, friends, partners and other loved ones.
The festival itself will host food and vendor booths and dance tents – all set along West Hollywood's most happening strip of road, home to popular gay clubs, restaurants and cafes. On Friday, an After Party will follow the annual Friday night Dyke March and Rally.
For more information on LGBT Pride, complete entertainment lineups, and the City of West Hollywood's gay community, visit http://www.lapride.org or http://www.gogaywesthollywood.com.
The West Hollywood Marketing & Visitors Bureau, along with its partner Qantas Airways (http://www.qantas.com), are proud sponsors of the 2008 Los Angeles LGBT Pride festival. Qantas Airways flies more non-stop flights to Australia and New Zealand than any other carrier and is scheduled to be the first airline to offer Airbus A380 double-deck flights from Los Angeles to Australia in October, 2008. Fly with pride.
About West Hollywood Marketing & Visitors Bureau
The West Hollywood Marketing & Visitors Bureau is a 501-C-6 non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the economic vitality of West Hollywood through the marketing of the City of West Hollywood as a premier travel and lifestyle destination. For more information about West Hollywood, visit http://www.visitwesthollywood.com Full Story. [5/6/08]
YOUTH DEMAND SAFETY IN CALIFORNIA SCHOOLS
SACRAMENTO – Student leaders from across California gathered at the Capitol today, where they called for the end of harassment and discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth. Youth advocates participated in an 11 a.m. press conference on the west steps of the Capitol with elected officials, decrying violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Earlier this year, Lawrence "Larry" King's life was violently cut short after he was shot in the head by a classmate in his Oxnard classroom. The junior high school shooting was allegedly motivated by Larry's gender expression and is being treated as a hate crime.
LGBT youth leaders and their allies, participating in Queer Youth Advocacy Day 2008, encouraged policy makers to better enforce existing laws that were designed to protect students like Larry. The leaders met with the office of Jack O'Connell, California State Superintendent of Public Instruction, to discuss issues they face in school. At the press conference, they were joined by several legislative leaders, including Sen. Sheila Kuehl and Assemblymembers John Laird, Mark Leno, Mike Eng, Lloyd Levine and Julia Brownley. West Sacramento Mayor Christopher Cabaldon and Sacramento County Board of Education Member Gretchen Bender also addressed the youth.
Queer Youth Advocacy Day is a three-day leadership and advocacy event for students. It is sponsored by the Gay-Straight Alliance Network, Equality California Institute, Transgender Law Center and BIENESTAR.
"Queer Youth Advocacy Day empowers LGBT youth and straight allies to become engaged in the political process, sharing their powerful stories with legislators and school administrators about harassment and discrimination that is unfortunately still a daily problem in our schools," said GSA Network Executive Director Carolyn Laub. "Youth leaders from across California are simply asking our state's leaders to stand alongside them in the fight to create safer schools, so that what happened to Larry King in Oxnard doesn't ever happen again in California schools."
California law protects students in public schools against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. In many schools, however, youth continue to report incidents of bullying, harassment and violence. In addition, state laws designed to prevent the harassment of all students, not only those who identify as LGBT, have long been under attack by anti-gay organizations and lawmakers.
"Young people today are coming out earlier than ever before, in high school and in junior high," said Equality California Institute Executive Director Geoff Kors. "As a result, students often face harassment, bullying and the threat of violence – simply because they choose to live their lives openly. This crisis of discrimination must come to an end before more young lives are lost."
"I am humbled and encouraged by the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth leaders who are inspired to educate our state's policy makers about the need to implement safe schools laws," said Masen Davis, executive director of the Transgender Law Center. "Even with legal protections, too many students face violence and harassment based on their orientation and gender identity. We must take a lesson from our youth, and work tirelessly to ensure that laws and policies to protect our students are uniformly implemented throughout California."
"Our elected leaders, like our youth, must not forget that there is much work to be done around school safety," said BIENESTAR Executive Director Oscar De La O. "The death of Lawrence King is a reminder that we must continue our commitment to protect young people and revisit any laws that are not being properly engaged on a daily basis. Our work must continue until all students, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, have a safe and welcoming learning environment."
Queer Youth Advocacy Day 2008 received support from Gretchen Bender, vice president of the Sacramento County Board of Education, in addition to numerous other sponsors.
GSA Network is a nonprofit organization, governed by youth and adults, that empowers youth activists to fight homophobia and transphobia in schools through Gay-Straight Alliance clubs. There are currently more than 650 GSA clubs in California schools, including nearly 50% of the public high schools. www.gsanetwork.org
Equality California Institute's mission is to inform lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people and the public at large about issues impacting the LGBT community and our allies, train activists to respond and work proactively for LGBT equality, and connect communities working for justice and civil rights for all. www.eqca.org
Transgender Law Center (TLC) is a civil rights organization advocating for
transgender communities. TLC provides free legal services to transgender
people throughout California and works with community members and partnering organizations on cutting-edge transgender rights policy initiatives. www.transgenderlawcenter.org
BIENESTAR is committed to enhancing the health and well-being of the Latino community and other underserved communities. BIENESTAR accomplishes this through community education, prevention, mobilization, advocacy and the provision of direct social services. www.bienestar.org > Full Story. [5/5/08]
CALIFORNIA SUPREME COURT TO HEAR CASE OF LAMBDA LEGAL LESBIAN CLIENT DENIED INFERTILITY TREATMENT BY CHRISTIAN FUNDAMENTALIST DOCTOR
California Supreme Court to Hear Case of Lambda Legal Lesbian Client Denied Infertility Treatment by Christian Fundamentalist Doctors
(Los Angeles, May 1, 2008) --- The California Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Wednesday, May 28, 2008 in the case of an Oceanside lesbian whose doctors at North Coast Women's Care Medical Group denied her fertility treatments based on their religious beliefs.
Lambda Legal represents Guadalupe "Lupita" Benítez. In 1999, her doctor referred her to North Coast for fertility treatments. After eleven months of preparatory treatments, doctors finally admitted they would not inseminate her because she is a lesbian. The doctors claim a right not to comply with California's civil rights law because they are fundamentalist Christians and they object to treating a lesbian patient the same way they treat other patients. > Full Story. [5/1/08]
GAY ORANGE COUNTY MAN WHOSE DOMESTIC PARTNER MISLED HIM BY NEVER REGISTERING PARTNERSHIP
(Santa Ana, Calif., April 29, 2008)-The California Court of Appeal heard oral arguments today in the appeal of an Orange County man who believed his domestic partnership was registered with the state, only to discover upon separation that his partner never mailed the form. > Full Story. [5/1/08]
YOUTH TO DEMAND SAFETY IN CALIFORNIA SCHOOLS
SACRAMENTO – Student advocates from across California will meet at the state Capitol next week to speak with legislators and the California Superintendent of Public Instruction about the harassment of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students in California schools. The youth are participating in Queer Youth Advocacy Day 2008, a three-day youth leadership summit co-sponsored by the Gay-Straight Alliance Network, Equality California Institute, Transgender Law Center and BIENESTAR. > Full Story. [4/29/08]
MEASURE TO PROTECT LGBT FOSTER YOUTH PASSES FIRST COMMITTEE
SACRAMENTO – Assembly lawmakers yesterday passed a bill that would help protect foster youth against harassment and discrimination at school. Assembly Bill 3015, introduced in response to a school shooting in Oxnard two months ago, would educate foster care youth, and their caregivers, about existing California laws that protect students against bias.
The Assembly Human Services Committee passed AB 3015 on Tuesday with an initial vote of 5-2. The bill is authored by Assemblymember Julia Brownley, D-Woodland Hills, and co-sponsored by Equality California, the National Association of Social Workers (California Chapter) and the Gay-Straight Alliance Network.
In February, 15-year-old Lawrence "Larry" King was shot in the head by another classmate at E.O. Green Junior High School in Oxnard. Larry, who had recently begun to identify as gay, was the target of bullying and ridicule by some of his classmates, including the alleged shooter. The victim was in the foster care system and lived in a group home for abused and neglected children.
"Every day, young people are bullied and harassed because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, which in part leads to higher rates of depression, school dropout and suicide among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth," said EQCA Executive Director Geoff Kors. "In Oxnard, this escalated into a tragic hate crime that ruined the lives of not just one, but two youth. This bill will help ensure that foster youth, like Larry, have caring adults in their lives who will take the time to explain their rights to safety and dignity at school."
AB 3015 requires that existing training programs for foster youth and their caregivers include information about existing school safety laws that protect students from discrimination. EQCA was the sponsor of several bills which have become law that protect public school students from bias based on many factors, including sexual orientation and gender identity and expression.
"The death of a child is a profound loss. Let us remember Larry as a young man who believed it was his protected right to pursue and to discover his own identity," said Assemblymember Julia Brownley. "It is my deep, sincere hope that AB 3015 serves as a step to providing our young people with a safe, protective environment in which to grow and thrive."
"Social workers are the first line of defense in ensuring that foster youth are safe in all their environments, including school," said NASW-CA Executive Director Janlee Wong. "AB 3015 ensures that social workers, foster parents, relative caregivers, group homes and, most importantly, foster youth are informed of the protections foster youth are entitled to on their school campuses and how to report and prevent harassment and violence at school."
"Foster youth and their caregivers need to know that they have the right to attend a safe school where youth won't be harassed or bullied based on their sexual orientation or gender identity or expression," said GSA Network Executive Director Carolyn Laub. "GSA Network is proud to co-sponsor AB 3015, which will help stop violence and harassment directed toward LGBT foster youth in their school setting."
Founded in 1998, Equality California celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2008, commemorating a decade of building a state of equality in California. EQCA is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, grassroots-based, statewide advocacy organization whose mission is to achieve equality and civil rights of all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Californians. www.eqca.org > Full Story. [4/16/08]
BILL TO PROTECT LGBT SENIORS PASSES SENATE HEALTH COMMITTEE
SACRAMENTO – The Senate Health Committee today passed legislation that would help create an environment that is free from discrimination for LGBT seniors in nursing homes and senior care facilities.
Senate Bill 1729, authored by Sen. Carole Migden, D-San Francisco, and sponsored by Equality California, would train licensed health professionals who care for seniors about the unique needs of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. Committee members passed the bill with an initial 6-1 vote.
"Seniors in our community are more likely to live in 24-hour care facilities in their later years due to lifelong experiences of discrimination and the lack of legal safety nets, such as Social Security survivor benefits, that help keep people in their homes after retirement," said EQCA Executive Director Geoff Kors. "Once they do receive professional care in a nursing home or senior facility, LGBT seniors should not have to face further isolation, discrimination or a lack of acceptance based on their sexual orientation or gender identity."
SB 1729 would require licensed healthcare professionals who have constant interaction with seniors to participate in a training program that focuses on preventing discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Many health professionals already receive cultural diversity training, but it does not include information and education about LGBT issues.
"We want to make sure all seniors receive the essential services, programs and activities they need and deserve," said Sen. Migden. "SB 1729 will help foster a culture of respect within senior care facilities so every person who needs support feels welcome in that environment."
Testifying before the committee, Frank Howell, a senior from Hayward, said he was not allowed to make medical decisions for his now deceased partner, John, even though Howell was listed as his caregiver.
"In some cases when gays or lesbians are admitted to nursing care facilities they are not even allowed to visit their partners – or even hold hands," Howell said. "A large number of retirement homes have no official written policy regarding gay and lesbian residents and are totally ignorant of any of the issues involved."
Basic rights, such as the choice to live in the same nursing home with a partner and the right to hospital visitation, are routinely denied to same-gender couples in older age, according to a 2000 study from the Policy Institute of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. The study also shows that same-gender partners lack essential protections, including Medicaid benefits and access to pensions, which would typically protect the assets, homes and retirement funds of surviving spouses.
"I personally witness the effects of this isolation among LGBT seniors regularly as a caregiver to an 86-year-old gay man with Alzheimer's," said Dan Ashbrook, director of the Lavender Seniors of the East Bay. "He was institutionalized at age 17 when his parents found out he was gay. Now he lives a life of poor health and isolation because of his mistrust of the health care system." The Lavender Seniors of the East Bay provides social activities, support, and networking for LGBT seniors.
Founded in 1998, Equality California celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2008, commemorating a decade of building a state of equality in California. EQCA is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, grassroots-based, statewide advocacy organization whose mission is to achieve equality and civil rights of all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Californians. www.eqca.org > Full Story. [4/16/08]
LGBT RIGHTS BILL CLEARS KEY COMMITTEE
Laird Measure, Sponsored by EQCA and NAACP, Ensures that State's Nondiscrimination Standards Protect all Groups > Full Story. [4/16/08]
GOVERNOR OPPOSES PROPOSED BAN ON MARRIAGE FOR SAME-SEX COUPLES
> Full Story. [4/11/08]
STOP THE INITIATIVE. SUPPORT FAIRNESS¯ ISSUES URGENT CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS IN FINAL WEEKS OF SIGNATURE GATHERING PHASE
"Stop the Initiative. Support Fairness" Issues Urgent Call for Volunteers in Final Weeks of Signature Gathering Phase > Full Story. [4/9/08]
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