THE LGBT SOUTH is a weekly email newsletter from the Campaign for Southern Equality that highlights the voices and experiences of LGBT people living in the South. Send feedback and story tips to felicia@southernequality.org.
“In Georgia and Mississippi, new “religious liberties” bills that would allow government workers, taxpayer-funded groups and businesses whose owners or operators oppose gay marriage to discriminate againt gays, have advanced. Legislators in over twenty other states are pursuing similar actions. And in Texas, a new Kim Davis is on the horizon, as Molly Criner, the clerk of rural Irion County, says she may not give out marriage licenses to gay couples (no couples have apparently yet come to get one). She testified last week before a Texas legislative committee. “This is going to be something that violates my oath,” she claimed.”
“A backlash against LGBT equality is in full swing, eight months after marriage equality came to the entire nation, and it’s not just happening in very conservative places. In Houston, a city which had a lesbian mayor and prided itself on inclusiveness, a ballot measure rescinded the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance with an overwhelming majority last November, as opponents targeted transgender people with a campaign of hate and “bathroom panic” via television ads.”
“LGBT leaders not only didn’t have a plan then, they’ve still not figured out how to deal with bathroom panic and the right’s age-old tactic of exploiting people’s fears about their children with regard to the presence of gay or transgender people.”
“According to a new CDC study, 1 in 2 black gay men and 1 in 4 Latino gay men will become HIV-positive if current trends persist. That makes both groups more likely to contract HIV than the general gay population — where the odds are 1 in 6. For white gay men, it’s 1 in 11. The lowest risks are for heterosexual white men, for whom 1 in 473 have to worry about contracting the virus.”
“This new data from the CDC indicates that, perhaps, the Titanic has seen the iceberg but has yet to change course. When the ship crashes, it’s the passengers in steerage who suffer the most. In this case, it’s those in marginalized groups who are most at risk for HIV — young gay men of color, as well as transgender women of color and black women.”
“One thing is very clear: When it comes to fighting HIV in the United States, some populations are not just being left behind, they may also be getting ignored by current efforts to fight the HIV epidemic.”
“2015 was the year we cheered, screamed and cried for the equality strides we made. SCOTUS-sanctioned weddings were celebrated. A certain transgender celebrity transitioned into a mainstream-media hero. Dozens of cities and towns reworked the laws on their books to be more inclusive and better reflect their composition. But after the parties ended and the water cooler conversation tapped out, we all returned to our daily existence, where many of us are still not fully accepted by our immediate families or comfortable being out-and-proud at the workplace. One spot that has consistently remained an area of acute distress — sometimes even dread — is the doctor’s office, where even discussing a routine health matter can become awkward at best.”
“Whether you’re a card-carrying queer poly or a freshly inked bridegroom, we must beg the question: Can we live happily ever after if we’re still plagued by the physical and mental stresses of discrimination (whether blatant or unconsciously biased) that affect the quality of our health care and wellbeing?”
“In a post-AIDS world, what can we as a community do to ensure we thrive in sickness and in health?”
“The Black Lives Matter movement is a city phenomenon with a primarily urban lens: Chicago, New York, and Oakland are the major capitols, and there are several hubs such as D.C., St. Louis, and Baltimore among others. Southern cities such as Atlanta, Charlotte, and New Orleans shows signs of life but are only fledglings so far.”
“Leading the nation in counties with the worst male life expectancy, median income, and upward mobility, the Deep South is also home to a region known as the Black Belt, an area stretching from Maryland to Louisiana known for its high percentage of African Americans. The Black Belt contains the poorest counties in the nation.”
“So why this silence in regard to the South’s Black Belt, though it faces poverty, education disparity, and environmental racism that rivals that of large cities? Is it because the rural Black southerners “don’t make enough noise”?”
“Or is it because the South poses a challenge to the Black Lives Matter movement’s primary principles and organizing strategies?”
“Lawmakers in Mississippi and Georgia on Friday approved religious freedom bills that critics say would allow anti-LGBT discrimination. The Mississippi House of Representatives approved House Bill 1523, which is known as the Religious Liberty Accommodations Act, by an 80-39 vote margin.”
“’Once again, legislators are modernizing the Jim Crow Era with the passage of HB 1523,’ said the American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi in a statement.”
“The Georgia Senate on Friday approved House Bill 757 by a 38-14 vote margin. The measure would allow publicly-funded organizations and individuals to deny service to anyone based on their religious beliefs.”
“After more than three hours of impassioned public comment Monday night, Charlotte City Council approved new legal protections for gay, lesbian and transgender people – a decision that will likely provoke a battle with the General Assembly, which could nullify the city’s historic vote.”
“Council members approved expanding the city’s existing nondiscrimination ordinance in a 7-4 vote.”
“The decision elicited cheers and hugs from supporters, many carrying signs that read “Facts Not Fear.” Opponents of the ordinance, many with signs that read, “Don’t Do It Charlotte,” were upset by the decision.”
“The changes mean businesses in Charlotte can’t discriminate against gay, lesbian or transgender customers, in addition to long-standing protections based on race, age, religion and gender. The ordinance applies to places of public accommodation, such as bars, restaurants and stores. It also applies to taxis.”
“Big crowds came out for a Tuesday evening meeting about a proposed non-discrimination and equal employment policy for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in Brevard Public Schools.”
“After more than 90 LGBT policy opponents spoke to the school board, the board voted to unanimously kill the proposed policy, and said it would hold a public workshop on LGBT issues down the road.”
“Nearly 100 people signed up to speak at the meeting, and most of those who spoke were in opposition to the LGBT policy.”
“Friar Demetri Tsigas of Melbourne, a Greek Orthodox priest, said that the opposition of people of faith like himself was something school board members should heed. “You can see the spirit of the town here,” Tsigas said. ‘This is not San Francisco, folks. This is Brevard County.'”
“Last year, states across the country considered 17 bills that would’ve regulated transgender people’s use of sex-segregated spaces such as bathrooms. None of them passed. But the reality is looking a lot different this year: Twenty-nine such bills, many of them school-specific, are making their way through state legislatures so far, according to an analysis by the Human Rights Campaign. And they include one out of South Dakota that is very close to becoming law.”
“That bill, which was passed just last week by the state’s Senate and as of Wednesday was awaiting approval by Republican Governor Dennis Daugaard, would prohibit transgender students in public schools from using bathrooms and locker rooms that don’t match with their biological sex; if requested, schools would have to provide “reasonable” accommodations for transgender students, such as single-occupancy or unisex restrooms. The legislation is important because it would set a precedent—South Dakota would be the first state to enact such a law—and because many of the bills under consideration elsewhere are, not coincidentally, almost identical. It also shows how prickly things get when the federal government and local jurisdictions vie for control over what happens at the nation’s public schools.”
The schedule for the 2016 LGBT* in the South conference is now posted – click here to register today!
