LGBT HUMAN RIGHTS CREATED BY SHAYLA NOVAK LGBT

LGBT HUMAN RIGHTS CREATED BY: SHAYLA NOVAK

LGBT HUMAN RIGHTS We all have a sexual orientation and a gender identity, and this shared fact means that discrimination against members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community, based on sexual orientation and/ or gender identity, is an issue that transcends that community and affects all of us. Sexual orientation covers sexual desires, feelings, practices and identification. Sexual orientation can be towards people of the same or different sexes (same-sex, heterosexual or bisexual orientation). Gender identity refers to the complex relationship between sex and gender, referring to a person's experience of self expression in relation to social categories of masculinity or femininity (gender). A person's subjectively felt gender identity may be at variance with their sex or physiological characteristics.

LGBT RIGHTS VIOLATIONS January 21, 2012 – Crain Conaway, a black 47 -year-old trans woman, was found dead in her home in Oceanside, California. Tyree Paschall Monday was arrested in connection with her murder. February 2, 2012 – Ja. Parker "Deoni" Jones, a 23 -year-old black trans woman, was stabbed in the head while waiting at a Metro bus stop in Washington DC. February 2012 – Cody Rogers, an 18 -year-old teenager, was brutally assaulted and targeted with homophobic slurs at a party after defending a female friend who was also attacked. March 24, 2012 – Several transgender and crossdressing people were shot at and robbed in Florida by a man, suspected to be De Los Santos. 23 -year-old Tyrell Jacksonwas fatally wounded in the shooting, which also injured 20 -year-old Michael Hunter. April 3, 2012 – Coko Williams, a black trans woman, was found murdered in East Detroit, Michigan. The homicide may have been related to Coko's involvement in sex work. April 16, 2012 – Paige Clay, 23, a black trans woman, was found dead, with a bullet wound to her face in West Garfield Park, Chicago. The death was ruled as a homicide. April 21, 2012 – Eric Unger, a 23 -year-old gay man living in Illinois, was attacked by a group of men on the way home from a party, while they shouted anti-gay epithets at him. The investigation is ongoing. April 29, 2012 – Brandy Martell, a 37 -year-old trans woman of color, was murdered in Oakland, California. May 2012 – Max Pelofske, a 21 -year-old gay man, was beaten by a group of youths at a party in Minnesota. Pelofske claims it was a hate crime, but police disagree.

LGBT VIOLATIONS CONT. June 5, 2012 – Kardin Ulysse, a black 14 -year-old boy, was attacked in the cafeteria of Roy Mann Junior High School by another group of boys. He was called anti-gay slurs and sustained damage to the cornea of one of his eyes, leaving him blinded. Ulysse's parents planned on suing the city for failing to supervise its students properly. June 23, 2012 – Mollie Olgin, 19 years old, and her girlfriend, Kristene Chapa, 18 years old, were found shot in the head near Violet Andrews Park in Portland, Texas. Olgin died at the scene and Chapa survived. Law enforcement has said there is no evidence to suggest that the incident is a hate crime. The Human Rights Campaign and Equality Texas urged a thorough investigation by the U. S. Department of Justice, the FBI and Portland police to find the shooter. July 5, 2012 – Tracy Johnson, a 40 -year-old black trans woman, was found dead from gunshot wounds in Baltimore, Maryland. August 14, 2012 – Tiffany Gooden, a 19 -year-old black trans woman, was found murdered on the second floor of an abandoned building in Chicago. An autopsy verified that she had been stabbed to death. Notably, the body of Paige Clay, another young black trans woman, was discovered in April 3 blocks away from where Tiffany was found. The pair were known as friends. August 18, 2012 – Kendall Hampton, a 26 -year-old black trans woman, died of gunshot wounds. Eugene Carlos Dukes was arrested in early September for her murder, and indicted later that month. August 26, 2012 – Deja Jones, a 33 -year-old black trans woman, was shot to death in Miami. No arrest has yet been made. September 3, 2012 – The body of Kyra Cordova, a 27 -year-old trans woman, was found in a wooded area in Frankford, Philadelphia. October 15, 2012 – Janette Tovar, a 43 -year-old trans woman was murdered by her partner, Jonathan Kenney, according to police, who beat her and slammed her head into concrete. He was later arrested for her murder.

LGBT VIOLATIONS CONT. March 1, 2013 – Sondra Scarber addressed a parent about her girlfriend's son being bullied at Seabourn Elementary School in Mesquite, Texas, and was beaten by him when he realized that she was a lesbian. May 17, 2013 – Mark Carson, a 32 -year old black gay man, was shot to death by another man who trailed and taunted him and a friend as they walked down the street in Greenwich Village, New York. When the two friends ignored the assailant's questions, the man began yelling anti-gay slurs and asked one of them, "You want to die tonight? " Elliot Morales, 33, was arrested briefly after the shooting and charged with murder and weapons charges on May 19. [186] According to police, Morales said he shot Carson because he was "acting tough“. Morales pleaded not guilty on June 19, 2013. November 4, 2013 – Sasha Fleischman, an agender (neither male nor female) 18 -year-old, had their skirt set on fire while they were sleeping on an AC Transit bus in Oakland, California. Police arrested 16 -year-old Richard Thomas and charged him as an adult with aggravated mayhem, assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury, and hate-crime enhancements. Thomas admitted to police that he had started the fire and that he did it because he was "homophobic. " December 31, 2013 – A fire was started in the stairway of a gay nightclub in Seattle, which was quickly extinguished. After suspect Musab Mohammaed Masari had told a friend that "homosexuals should be exterminated", an informer from the Muslim community told the FBI Masamari may have also been planning terrorist attacks. The native of Benghazi Libya was arrested on his way to Turkey. On July 13, 2014, Masmari was sentenced to 10 years on federal arson charges. June 1, 2014 – Ahmed Said, 27, and Dwone Anderson-Young, 23, were killed execution-style shortly after midnight in the Leschi neighborhood of Seattle shortly after they left a gay nightclub. Both victims were gay, and Ahmed was apparently lured by being contacting on grindr, a social app popular with gays. Anderson-Young was receiving a ride home from Ahmed Said. The case was soon investigated as a possible hate crime. Both Said and Anderson-Young were shot multiple times; Anderson-Young died inside Said's car, while Said died immediately outside. Suspect Ali Muhammad Brown has confessed to killing Said, Anderson-Young, and two men in Seattle and New Jersey, both of whom weren't gay. Brown had previously been convicted of bank fraud and is believed to be in support of Muslim terrorists in Somalia. He told investigators that he was guided strictly by his faith, and that the killings were "just" because they were in retaliation for actions by the U. S. government in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan. February 1, 2015 -- Taja De. Jesus, 36, a trans woman of color, was found stabbed to death in the Bayview neighborhood of San Francisco, California. April 13, 2015 – Ron Lane was shot dead by a former student, identified as Kenneth M. Stancil III, who he had supervised at the campus print shop. His mother made unconfirmed allegations that Lane, who was gay, made unwanted sexual advances towards Stancil. The shooting was investigated as a hate crime

WHAT’S YOUR OPINION?

OBAMA’S INVOLVEMENT “Every single American -- gay, straight, lesbian, bisexual, transgender -- every single American deserves to be treated equally in the eyes of the law and in the eyes of our society. It’s a pretty simple proposition. ” -President to working with Barack Obama, Obama Octoberis 1, committed 2011 all Americans to create the brightest future for our country through innovation, education and building new technologies and more connected communities. Since taking office, the President has demonstrated that his vision for a brighter future includes greater equality for LGBT Americans. The President and his Administration are dedicated to eliminating barriers to equality, fighting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and engaging LGBT communities across the country. https: //www. whitehouse. gov/lgbt

OBAMA ADMINISTRATION TRACK RECORD Repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell: The President signed the bill to repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell on December 22, 2010, putting in motion the end of a discriminatory policy that ran counter to our values as Americans. As of September 20, 2011, when the repeal took effect, gay, lesbian, and bisexual Americans can serve openly in our Armed Forces and without fear of losing their jobs for who they are and who they love. Ending the Legal Defense of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA): In February 2011, the President and Attorney General announced that the Department of Justice would no longer defend Section 3 of DOMA against equal protection constitutional challenges brought by same-sex couples married under state law. In July 2011, the White House announced the President’s support of the Respect for Marriage Act, introduced by Senator Dianne Feinstein and Congressman Jerrold Nadler, which would repeal DOMA and uphold the principle that gay and lesbian couples should receive the same Federal rights and legal protections as straight couples. The President has long supported a legislative repeal of DOMA. Signing Historic Hate Crimes Legislation: President Obama overcame years of partisan gridlock to pass and sign the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act into law, which extends the coverage of Federal hate crimes law to include attacks based on the victim’s actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. Ensuring Hospital Visitation Rights for LGBT Patients and Their Loved Ones: Following a directive from the President, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) now requires all hospitals receiving Medicare or Medicaid funds – just about every hospital in America – to allow visitation rights for LGBT patients. The President also directed HHS to ensure that medical decisionmaking rights of LGBT patients are respected. Advancing and Protecting the Rights of LGBT Persons around the World: The Obama Administration continues to engage systematically with governments around the world to advance the rights of LGBT persons. The Administration’s intensive and systematic leadership has included various public statements and resolutions at the UN. President Obama has also issued a presidential memorandum that directs all Federal agencies engaged abroad to ensure that U. S. diplomacy and foreign assistance promote and protect the human rights of LGBT persons.

Has Obama been successful in fighting for LGBT rights?

http: //www. huffingtonpost. com/2015/06/26/obama-best-week-video_n_7675162. html OBAMA’S LEGACY

PROS & CONS OF GAY MARRIAGE Pros Cons Denying some people the option to marry is discriminatory and creates a second class of citizens. The institution of marriage has traditionally been defined as being between a man and a woman. Same-sex couples should have access to the same benefits enjoyed by heterosexual married couples. Marriage is for procreation and should not be extended to same-sex couples because they cannot produce children together. The concept of "traditional marriage" has changed over time, and the definition of marriage as always being between one man and one woman is historically inaccurate. Gay marriage is protected by the US Constitution's commitments to liberty and equality. Marriage is an internationally recognized human right for all people. Same-sex marriage is a civil right. Marriage is not only for procreation, otherwise infertile couples or couples not wishing to have children would be prevented from marrying. Children need both a mother and a father. Legalizing gay marriage could lead down a "slippery slope, " giving people in polygamous, incestuous, bestial, and other nontraditional relationships the right to marry. Allowing gay couples to wed could further weaken the institution of marriage. Homosexuality is immoral and unnatural. Gay marriage is contrary to the word of God and is incompatible with the beliefs, sacred texts, and traditions of many religious groups.

PROS & CONS CONT. Pros Gay marriages can bring financial gain to federal, state, and local governments and can help boost the economy. Gay couples make good parents. Gay marriage bans cause humiliation and uncertainty for children being raised by same-sex couples. Marriage provides both physical and psychological health benefits, and banning gay marriage increases rates of psychological disorders. Legalizing gay marriage will not harm the institution of marriage, and same-sex marriages may even be more stable than heterosexual marriages. Gay marriage legalization is correlated with lower divorce rates, while gay marriage bans are correlated with higher divorce rates. Legal marriage is a secular institution that should not be limited by religious objections to same-sex marriage. Many religious leaders and churches support gay marriage and say it is consistent with scripture. Cons Legalizing gay marriage often leads to an end to domestic partnership benefits for gay and straight couples, which disadvantages couples wh Gay marriage will accelerate the assimilation of gays into mainstream heterosexual culture to the detriment of the homosexual community to choose not to get married. Marriage is an outmoded, oppressive institution that should be weakened, not expanded. People should not have their tax dollars used to support something they believe is wrong. Marriage is a privilege, not a right. Legalizing gay marriage advances the "homosexual agenda" and unfairly paints opponents as bigots. Civil unions and domestic partnerships can provide the protections and benefits gay couples need without changing the definition of marriage.

Is marriage a right or a privilege? Do gays have this right/privilege?

OBERGEFELL V. HODGE Summary: Groups of same-sex couples sued their relevant state agencies in Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, and Tennessee to challenge the constitutionality of those states' bans on same-sex marriage or refusal to recognize legal same-sex marriages that occurred in jurisdictions that provided for such marriages. The plaintiffs in each case argued that the states' statutes violated the Equal Protection Clause and Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, and one group of plaintiffs also brought claims under the Civil Rights Act. In all the cases, the trial court found in favor of the plaintiffs. The U. S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit reversed and held that the states' bans on same-sex marriage and refusal to recognize marriages performed in other states did not violate the couples' Fourteenth Amendment rights to equal protection and due process. The case is consolidated and the petition for a writ of certiorari is granted limited to the following questions: 1) Does the Fourteenth Amendment require a state to license a marriage between two people of the same sex? 2) Does the Fourteenth Amendment require a state to recognize a marriage between two people of the same sex when their marriage was lawfully licensed and performed out-ofstate?

SAME SEX MARRIAGE The Supreme Court ruled 5 -4 that the Constitution requires that same-sex couples be allowed to marry no matter where they live and that states may no longer reserve the right only for heterosexual couples. Supreme Court rules gay couples nationwide have a right to marry Same Sex Marriage became legal in the Supreme Court Ruling of Obergefell v. Hodge on June 25, 2015.

Should same sex marriage remain legal?

SOURCES http: //www. amnestyusa. org/our-work/issues/lgbt-rights/about-lgbt-human-rights http: //www. globalequality. org/newsroom/latest-news/1 -in-the-news/184 -humanrightsreports 2012 http: //www. humanrights. gov/dyn/2015/11/upr-23 rd-session---intervention-for-saint-kitts-and-nevis/ http: //www. state. gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2014/05/226253. htm http: //polis. house. gov/issues/issue/? Issue. ID=5032 https: //www. whitehouse. gov/lgbt http: //www. westernjournalism. com/the-profound-consequences-of-same-sex-marriage-for-business-and-the- professions/ https: //www. whitehouse. gov/sites/default/files/docs/lgbt_record. pdf http: //apps. washingtonpost. com/g/documents/national/supreme-court-opinion-on-same-sex-marriage/1605/