from Wisconsin State Journal, via Feministing
A Wisconsin appeals court ruled Thursday that a woman who has raised her children since infancy has no legal rights as their parent. Wendy (identified only by her first name in court records) split with her partner after adopting two children and raising them as a stay-at-home parent. Because Wendy’s partner, Liz, legally adopted the children, Wendy now has no legal rights as their guardian. Her petition for guardianship was rejected by the court.
Under Wisconsin law, a parent is defined as a biological or adoptive parent, and a same-sex couple cannot adopt a child together. Therefore, of all the families in Wisconsin that consist of a same-sex couple with children, half of those parents receive absolutely no legal recognition.
Via the NY Daily News
It’s sad enough that Texas only overturned an archaic law banning sodomy in 2003. Now, in 2010, the Texas Republican Party has agreed to a platform that would not only bring back the sodomy ban, but criminalize gay marriage. Same-sex marriages are already invalid in Texas; the new measures would also give jail sentences to anyone who issues a marriage license to a same-sex couple, among other things.
The party argues that homosexuality “tears at the fabric of society, contributes to the breakdown of the family unit and leads to the spread of dangerous communicable diseases.” As for me, I still fail to see how the formation of loving, responsible, committed long-term relationships among people of the same gender contributes to any of these things… and I won’t be moving to Texas anytime soon.
Today was this year’s National Day of Silence. This event is a powerful reminder of how LGBTQQIA people are silenced in our society. To those of you who participated, thank you for your support of LGBTQQIA rights and your commitment to fight discrimination, hatred, and violence. If you are interested in the Day of Silence, consider participating next year. You can learn more at the official Day of Silence website.
You can say a lot without speaking at all.
via the Chronicle of Higher Education: How to Be Welcoming
This is an insightful guide for colleges and universities, based on the writer’s personal experience with these institutions’ attitudes towards LGBT faculty and staff members. Worth a read – whether you work at a college, attend college, or care about LGBT issues in general!
November 20 is the International Transgender Day of Remembrance. Today, we honor the 120 transgender individuals whose murders were reported in the past year, and those whose murders may not have been reported to police or the news service.
For a complete list of names and more information, visit the official Transgender Day of Remembrance site here.
If you are on campus, please take a moment to visit our memorial in the Campus Center. There you can see the faces, names, and stories of those who lost their lives this year due to violence, transphobia, and hate.
Yesterday was the fifth annual Celebrate Intersex Awareness Day.
Some context from the Queers United blog:
“On October 26, 1996, intersex activists from Intersex Society of North America (carrying the sign “Hermaphrodites With Attitude”) and our allies from Transexual Menace held the first public intersex demonstration in Boston, where American Academy of Pediatrics was holding its annual conference. The action generated a lot of press coverage, and made it difficult for the medical community to continue to neglect our growing movement.”
Since then, activists have used October 26 as a day of grass-roots action to end the shame and secrecy surrounding intersex individuals, as well as the unwanted genital cosmetic surgeries that are performed on intersex children (with or without the parents’ knowledge and consent).
For more information on intersex conditions and issues, check out the Intersex Initiative or one of the other Rainbow KnightLight links.
Last night, I decided to not get married…
at least, not until every American citizen has that right.
The National Marriage Boycott is a student driven movement to urge Congress and President Obama to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). If you believe that same-sex couples deserve to be as valued in society as heterosexual couples, you might be interested in participating in the boycott. Particpants sign an online pledge, and you can purchase an equality ring for $10 (plus shipping, if necessary) to symbolize your commitment to true equality. All profits are used to help further the fight for LGBTQ rights.
I chose to sign the pledge because I believe a commitment to equality is more important than the legal recognition I could have access to in a heterosexual relationship. My identity as a member of the LGBTQ community comes first, regardless of the gender of my partner. I recognize that marriage is a privilege, not a right—and I’m proud to be part of the fight to change that.
Happy Celebrate Bisexuality Day!
If you go to school or work at St. Norbert, stop by the Campus Center at 7:30 for our Bisexuality Discussion Panel. If not, show your bi or ally pride by celebrating wherever you happen to be.
Some background info about the day:
Celebrate Bisexuality Day has been observed on September 23 since 1990. The day is an opportunity for bisexual, fluid, pansexual and generally queer-identified people and their families, friends and supporters to recognize and celebrate their history, community and culture and the contributions bisexual/pansexual people have made to both the greater LGBT Community as well as to and mainstream culture.
This celebration of the bisexual, fluid and pansexual community in particular, as opposed to general LGBT events, was conceived as a response to the prejudice and marginalization of the bisexual and pansexual persons by some in both the straight and greater LGBT communities.
It features events ranging from picnics and house-parties to discussion groups and poetry-readings . There are dinner parties and dances in Toronto and a large masquerade ball in Queensland, Australia. At Texas A&M University, the week featured discussion panels and question-and-answer sessions. Princeton University celebrates this day each year by throwing a party at its LGBT Center. It has also been celebrated in Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
(source: BiNet USA)
Especially if you can’t make it to the panel, try taking Scarleteen’s Bisexuality Quiz to “check your Bi-Q!”
Tammy Baldwin and Jerrod Nadler have introduced what they call the Respect for Marriage Act, which will repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. Please read the following communication from Fair Wisconsin and consider using their form to ask your congressperson to support this legislation.
________________________________________________________________________
Fair Wisconsin is thrilled to share with you some exciting news from the Equality Federation, the national coalition of state-based LGBT advocacy organizations of which Fair Wisconsin is a proud member. So often we share with you what is happening right here in the Badger State, such as domestic partnership protections, the legal challenge or our local events; however, LGBT advocacy on the national front is just as crucial to securing legal protections for same-sex couples.
This week, our very own Representative Tammy Baldwin, along with Representative Jerrod Nadler of New York, introduced the Respect for Marriage Act in the United States House of Representatives. This bill will repeal the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and ensure that legal marriages of all couples are recognized by the federal government.
Take action! Ask your Representative to cosponsor the Respect for Marriage Act! We need your help to persuade all members of Congress that this bill is critical for families across our country.
Please contact your member of Congress today and ask him or her to cosponsor The Respect for Marriage Act of 2009.
In Fairness,
Katie Belanger
Executive Director, Fair Wisconsin
Hey, its my first post! Yes, I finally posted something. So, hello. It just came to my attention that there is an online LGBT database to find information on the SNC library website. I found this very interesting, a nice highlight of researching for my Social Research Methods course. Well, it made my day! Anyhow, here’s the link to the basic search for the database entitled “LGBT Life” http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/search?vid=1&hid=8&sid=8f28bed3-855b-4821-804b-270d7ccc2b29%40sessionmgr10 . I apologize if everyone else knew about this, and I didnt. My intention is that this may aid in some searching for articles and other such literary materials.
