Senators: Lift ban on gays donating blood
By The Associated Press, 365gay.com
(Washington) The time has come to change a policy that imposes a lifetime ban on donating blood for any man who has had gay sex since 1977, 18 senators said Thursday. “Not a single piece of scientific evidence supports the ban,” said Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., who joined 16 other Democrats and independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont in writing Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Margaret Hamburg.
The lawmakers stressed that the science has changed dramatically since the ban was established in 1983 at the advent of the HIV-AIDS crisis. Today donated blood must undergo two different, highly accurate tests that make the risk of tainted blood entering the blood supply virtually zero, they said.
The senators said that while hospitals and emergency rooms are in urgent need of blood products, “healthy blood donors are turned away every day due to an antiquated policy and our blood supply is not necessarily any safer for it.”
Brian Moulton, chief legislative counsel for the Human Rights Campaign,the nation’s largest gay rights group, said they are hopeful that the policy, last reviewed in 2006, will change under President Barack Obama, “who is interested in looking at all the policies that have a discriminatory effect.” The goal, he said, is “to have policies in place that are based on the science” rather than “any discriminatory idea about our community.”
The senators’ letter noted that in March 2006, the American Red Cross, America’s Blood Centers and the American Association of Blood Banks reported to an FDA-sponsored workshop that the ban “is medically and scientifically unwarranted.”
The FDA, in a statement, said that “while FDA appreciates concerns about perceived discrimination, our decision to maintain the deferral policy is based on current science and data and does not give weight to a donor’s sexual orientation.”
It said that while some groups favor relaxing restrictions, others, “such as those representing the hemophilia community, support continuation of the current policy.”
People with hemophilia, a bleeding disorder, require periodic transfusions and in the past, before screening techniques were improved to ensure blood was HIV-free, were among those most at risk of contracting the virus.
Kerry compared the effort to lift the blood donation ban to legislation he backed in 2008 to end the law banning people with HIV from traveling and immigrating to the United States. That ban was lifted last year.
Also signing the letter were Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Dick Durbin and Roland Burris of Illinois, Daniel Akaka of Hawaii, Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey, Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, Mark Udall and Michael Bennet of Colorado, Al Franken of Minnesota, Maria Cantwell of Washington, Carl Levin of Michigan, Tom Harkin of Iowa, and Mark Begich of Alaska.
1 in 2 LGBT regularly cyberbullied
By Ruth Schneider, 365gay.com
One out of every two LGBT youths are the victims of cyberbullying, a new Iowa State University study found. In a study of 444 junior high, high school and college age students between the ages of 11 and 22, the researchers found 54 percent reported an incident of cyberbullying within the past month. Cyberbullying, in the study, included “electronic distribution of humiliating photos, dissemination of false or private information, or targeting victims in cruel online polls,” according to an ISU statement.
The bullying resulted in a range of negative emotions, researchers said. More than 1 in 4 in the study reported suicidal thoughts, 28 percent felt anxious about school and nearly half (45 percent) expereince depression.
“There’s a saying that we’ve now changed to read, ‘Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can kill,’ “ said Warren Blumenfeld, the study’s lead author, in the statement. “And especially at this age – pre-adolescence through adolescence – this is a time when peer influences are paramount in a young person’s life. If one is ostracized and attacked, that can have devastating consequences – not only physically, but on their emotional health for the rest of their lives.”
Synagogue offers same-sex blessings
By Brenda Suderman,The Canadian Press
Winnipeg's largest synagogue is moving toward full inclusion for gay and lesbian Jews by offering to bless their same-sex unions. Since Jan. 1, 2010, rabbis at Shaarey Zedek synagogue have been willing to bless Jewish same-sex couples in commitment ceremonies. So far, no couples have come forward to request the ritual, says the associate rabbi. "There is a concerted movement to create a set of ceremonial practices and alternative documents," explains Rabbi Lawrence Pinsker, who says January is not typically a time couples think of planning weddings. "The decision was to offer in sequential fashion to add to the level of accessibility in certain rituals." The move to offer same-sex blessing is the final step of a three-stage effort to include gay and lesbian Jews into the life of the congregation.
In 2008, the Wellington Crescent synagogue allowed same-sex couples to buy joint burial plots at its cemetery on Main Street and Anderson Avenue, across from Kildonan Park. In 2009, the synagogue extended the benefits of family membership to same-sex couples, a change from the previous practice of both partners buying individual memberships. Gays and lesbians were also extended the full rights of membership on that date.
The move to offer blessings to same-sex couples is about equality, says Rabbi Alan Green, who first raised the subject at the synagogue's celebration of High Holy Days in 2007.
"It's a simple matter of justice," he said in an interview before he left on sabbatical late last year. "Why shouldn't same-sex couples be sanctified?"
He says Jewish scripture uses the term sanctified for male-female couples and traditionally same-sex couples were forbidden marriage.
"Based on our understanding of sexual orientation, it seems to be genetic, seems to be part of God's creation, which we need to honour and sanctify."
The synagogue is stopping just short of marrying same-sex couples, with Green or other clergy offering to bless them and lead commitment ceremonies.
Green says the Winnipeg synagogue is thought to be the first Conservative movement synagogue in Canada to offer blessings to same-sex unions. In December 2006, the movement's New York-based Committee on Jewish Law and Standards approved extending blessings to same-sex unions, a move that carries a great deal of weight among Conservative congregations, but is not binding, says Green.
Winnipeg's other Conservative synagogue, Congregation Etz Chayim, does not extend blessings to same-sex couples and is not considering the move, says Rabbi Larry Lander.
"Shaarey Zedek has recently gone forward, and we're not going forward at this time," he says.
Although this is a new step for Conservative Judaism, considered more middle of the road, Winnipeg's lone Reform synagogue has offered the ritual for a decade, says Rabbi Karen Soria.
"We are still the only synagogue in Winnipeg where a gay or lesbian couple could be married Jewishly," says Soria, who divides her time between Winnipeg and Ottawa, where her female partner is a chaplain in the Canadian military.
"Reform Judaism has taken very seriously the need to open doors and be welcoming. Historically, Reform Judaism has been very aware of and studies the seismic changes in Jewish life over the centuries."
The Reform movement is considered one of the more liberal Jewish groups. An activist in the gay rights movement says the door is only partially open to Jewish same-sex couples, since Shaarey Zedek is not offering to marry them.
"I'm fully supportive of full inclusion and equal treatment to heterosexual counterparts in all life cycle events and rituals," says Judy Plotkin, who describes herself as an "out" Jewish lesbian. Other than her 2006 wedding, Plotkin says all of her family life cycle events have taken place at Shaarey Zedek synagogue.
Pinsker acknowledges that blessings are not the same as marriage, but the move is a step in the process toward full equality.
"I think its long overdue, number one. I think historical restraints (toward same-sex unions) can be overcome in Jewish law and have been." For Green, the decision makes sense both theological and culturally, and was influenced by the 2005 legalization of same-sex marriage in Canada.
"The barriers, I'm convinced, are just in our mind," says Green about theological issues around same-sex marriages. "If we would look at the way God looks at it, I don't think the barriers would exist."
brenda@suderman.com
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition January 30, 2010
Catholic preschool won’t let student return because of lesbian parents More men file sexual harassment suits
By Ruth Schneider, 365gay.com
A Catholic preschool in Boulder, Colo., will not be getting an “A” for Acceptance after telling a lesbian couple their child is not allowed to return to the school next year.
Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic School decided a student would not be allowed to enroll as a result of the sexual orientation of the child’s parents, according to an NBC 9 News report.
In a statement to 9 News, the Denver Archdiocese wrote that parents at the school are expected to follow teachings of the Catholic Church including that “Homosexual couples living together as a couple are in disaccord with Catholic teaching.”
“No person shall be admitted as a student in any Catholic school unless that person and his/her parent(s) subscribe to the school’s philosophy and agree to abide by the educational policies and regulations of the school and Archdiocese,” the Archdiocese’s statement explained.
The news station reports legal experts stated it is legal for the school to enforce the discriminatory policy.
By The Associated Press
(WASHINGTON) Jonathan Pilkington’s boss wouldn’t take no for an answer.
During more than two years as a food runner at an upscale steakhouse in Scottsdale, Ariz., Pilkington says his male supervisor groped, fondled and otherwise sexually harassed him more than a dozen times.
“It was very embarrassing,” Pilkington said. “I felt like I had to do something because the situation was just so bad.”
Now Pilkington, a married father of two, is the star witness in a federal lawsuit against Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar and one of a growing number of men claiming they are victims of sexual harassment in the workplace.
From 1990 to 2009, the percentage of sexual harassment claims filed by men has doubled from 8 percent to 16 percent of all claims, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Women still file the overwhelming majority of sexual harassment claims with the EEOC and state and local agencies. But lawyers at the commission say they’ve noticed the increase in complaints by men – more than 2,000 were filed in 2009 out of about 12,700 cases.
Male claims made up about 12 percent of all cases a decade ago, but the percentage has continued to rise even as the overall number of sexual harassment complaints has declined. And last year, the percentage of lawsuits the EEOC filed on behalf of male victims hit an all-time high, making up 14 percent of all cases.
“It’s certainly possible that there’s more sexual harassment of men going on, but it could just be that more men are coming forward and complaining about it,” said Ernest Haffner, an attorney in the EEOC’s Office of Legal Counsel.
While some cases allege harassment by female supervisors or co-workers, most charges involve men harassing other men. Sometimes it’s unwelcome romantic advances. Other times, men are picked on because they are gay, perceived as being gay or not considered masculine enough for the work setting.
In the past, some employers might have shrugged off such antics as “boys will be boys” horseplay or fraternity-type behavior. But the EEOC has been filing more lawsuits involving male victims, saying it wants to send a message that such behavior is unacceptable and unlawful.
In November, for example, the Cheesecake Factory restaurant chain agreed to pay $345,000 to six male employees who claimed they were repeatedly sexually assaulted by a group of male kitchen staffers at a Phoenix-area restaurant.
The EEOC said the abusers would drag some victims kicking and screaming into a walk-in refrigerator, touching and grinding against the victims’ genitals and take turns simulating rape. The company denied the allegations but agreed to make a financial settlement and educate its employees and managers about sexual harassment.
Susan Strauss, a consultant who advises companies about how to avoid sexual harassment in the workplace, said she’s seeing more cases in which men are subject to a sexualized form of hazing.
“If you don’t fit the masculine stereotype or are viewed as effeminate, you get picked on in a sexual way to demean you,” Strauss said.
Cases involving women making unwanted advances toward men may also be rising as women make up a growing part of the work force. Last year, the Regal Entertainment Group, which operates a national chain of movie theaters, agreed to pay $175,000 to settle a lawsuit by a male employee who claimed a female co-worker repeatedly grabbed his crotch at work.
When the employee complained to his supervisor and the theater’s then-general manager, he claims, she failed to stop the harassment and instead retaliated against the victim with unfair discipline and lower performance evaluations.
The number of cases filed by men has grown steadily since a landmark Supreme Court ruling in 1998 held that same-sex harassment is a valid claim under federal anti-discrimination laws. That ruling involved an offshore oil rig worker who said he was subject to humiliating sex-related treatment by other workers, including being sodomized in the shower with a bar of soap.
In Pilkington’s case, he claims the restaurant’s chef would grope and pinch his genitals or grab his backside when Pilkington walked to the kitchen or stock room. Despite his complaints to the restaurant’s operating partner, he says the conduct didn’t stop.
After one incident, Pilkington lost his composure and yelled at the chef, making a scene. Days later, he was fired – an action he claims was retaliation for his complaints. An EEOC lawsuit on behalf of Pilkington and three other current and former employees is pending.
“I think maybe it’s just harder for males to come out and file a complaint because of how embarrassing it is,” Pilkington said. “When I talk about it I get this nauseous feeling in my stomach.”
The restaurant has denied the charges. In a statement, the company that owns Fleming’s said the restaurant “has always been committed to providing a safe and healthy workplace free of harassment for all of its associates.”
Many victims are hesitant to come forward because they are afraid of being considered unmanly or being derided by co-workers, said Mary Jo O’Neill, a regional attorney in the EEOC’s Phoenix District office.
“All sexual harassment victims feel humiliated, lacking control and power,” O’Neill said. “This has a different twist because everyone expects that they would be able to handle it and take care of it themselves.”
Pilkington has since moved on to another job. While he is embarrassed by the publicity his case has received, he says it was the right thing to do. The EEOC lawsuit seeks damages for him and other workers alleging harassment, along with back pay and compensatory and punitive damages.
La Press en Rose ©, 2009, The Wizard of 'OZ'
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