People around the world face vlence and equaly—and sometim torture, even executn—bee of who they love, how they look, or who they are. Sexual orientatn and genr inty are tegral aspects of our selv and should never lead to discrimatn or abe. Human Rights Watch works for lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr peopl' rights, and wh activists reprentg a multiplicy of inti and issu. We document and expose ab based on sexual orientatn and genr inty worldwi, cludg torture, killg and executns, arrts unr unjt laws, unequal treatment, censorship, medil ab, discrimatn health and jobs and hog, domtic vlence, ab agast children, and nial of fay rights and regnn. We advote for laws and polici that will protect everyone’s digny. We work for a world where all people n enjoy their rights fully.
Contents:
- HARVEY MILK’S GAY FREEDOM DAY SPEECH: ANNOTATED
- THE RIGHTS OF LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENR PEOPLE
- CLAIMS OF FREE SPEECH, ANTI-GAY DISCRIMATN COURT WEBSE DIGNER’S CASE CLASH AT SUPREME
- HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: ANTI-GAY LAWS PROMOTE VLENCE, DISCRIMATN ST. VCENT
- GAY RIGHTS VS. FREE SPEECHSUPREME COURT BACKS WEB DIGNER OPPOSED TO SAME-SEX MARRIAGE
- TMP ADMISTRATN ASKS SUPREME COURT TO LEGALIZE WORKPLACE DISCRIMATN AGAST GAY EMPLOYE
- CIVIL RIGHTS LAW PROTECTS GAY AND TRANSGENR WORKERS, SUPREME COURT RUL
HARVEY MILK’S GAY FREEDOM DAY SPEECH: ANNOTATED
Five months before his assassatn 1978, Harvey Milk lled on the print of the Uned Stat to fend the rights of gay and lbian Amerins. * speech about gay discrimination *
The two most visible figur behd the legislative manvers were John Briggs, a state Senator California, who sought to remove openly lbian and gay teachers wh Proposn 6 (the phrase “public homosexual” repeats throughout the proposn); and Ana Bryant, whose “Save Our Children” anizatn succsfully helped overturn equal rights ordanc Miami, Florida; Eugene, Oregon; Wicha, Kansas; and St. And here, so-lled liberal San Francis, we have a lumnist for the San Francis Examer, a lumnist named Kev Starr, who has prted a number of lumns ntag distortns and li about gays.
And fally, I want to tell the John Briggs and the Ana Bryants that they talk about the myths of gays, but today I’m talkg about the facts of heterosexual vlence and what the hell are you gog to do about that? If you do not speak out, if you rema silence, if you do not lift up your voice agast Briggs, then I ll upon lbians and gay men om all over the natn, your natn, to gather Washgton one year om now on that natnal day of eedom, the fourth of July…the fourth of July, 1979…to gather Washgton on that very same spot where over a ago Dr. I ll upon all mori and pecially the lns of lbians and gay men to wake up om their dreams…to gather Washgton and tell Jimmy Carter and their natn: “Wake up…wake up, Ameri…no more racism, no more sexism, no more ageism, no more hatred…no more!
THE RIGHTS OF LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENR PEOPLE
* speech about gay discrimination *
Durg a typil “raid, ” police tried to arrt people for their mere prence at a gay bar, but the patrons of the Stonewall Inn fought back – and the gay rights movement was lnched.
CLAIMS OF FREE SPEECH, ANTI-GAY DISCRIMATN COURT WEBSE DIGNER’S CASE CLASH AT SUPREME
A report om Human Rights Watch lls on the ernment of St. Vcent to overturn lonial-era anti-gay laws that have led to a recent wave of vlence and genr discrimatn on the small Caribbean island. * speech about gay discrimination *
This Amendment protects the right to anize and urge ernment to end discrimatn, to regnize lbian and gay relatnships, and to adopt laws prohibg discrimatn the private sector.
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: ANTI-GAY LAWS PROMOTE VLENCE, DISCRIMATN ST. VCENT
It also clus the rights to form social and polil anizatns, to socialize bars and rtrants, to march or prott peacefully, to produce art wh gay them and to speak out publicly about LGBT issu. This means protectg stunts om vlence, guaranteeg their right to anize events and clubs like other stunts, and makg sure that gay teachers who might serve as healthy role mols are not themselv victimized by discrimatn.
GAY RIGHTS VS. FREE SPEECHSUPREME COURT BACKS WEB DIGNER OPPOSED TO SAME-SEX MARRIAGE
The ACLU has fought harassment of stunts California, Nevada, Oh and Washgton, fend gay teachers California, Idaho and Utah, and advoted for gay stunt groups Alabama, Indiana, Mnota, Utah and Wisns.
Reprented by the ACLU’s Lbian and Gay Rights Project, Mary Jo hop to tablish that public employe have a nstutnal right to be ee om discrimatn and harassment the workplace.
As a remr of what is supposed to be the sence of child-welfare policy, the ACLU’s Lbian and Gay Rights Project 1998 published a report entled In the Child’s Bt Intert: Defendg Fair and Sensible Adoptn Polici. Y, twelve stat (California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachetts, Mnota, New Hampshire, Nevada, New Jersey, Rho Island, Vermont and Wisns), the District of Columbia, many municipali, and hundreds of bs and universi have enacted laws that protect gay, lbian and bisexual people om employment discrimatn.
TMP ADMISTRATN ASKS SUPREME COURT TO LEGALIZE WORKPLACE DISCRIMATN AGAST GAY EMPLOYE
Perhaps as important, the polici give some small acknowledgement to the timate, mted relatnships central to the liv of so many lbians and gay men, which society otherwise ignor. Sce they n not marry, the partners of lbians and gay men are not next of k tim of crisis; they are not nsulted on ccial medil cisns; they are not given leave to re for each other; they are not each other’s legal heirs, if, like most Amerins, they do not have wills. Homophobia, stigma (negative and ually unfair beliefs), and discrimatn (unfairly treatg a person or group of people) agast gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex wh men still exist the Uned Stat and n negatively affect the health and well-beg of this muny.
The negative beliefs and actns n affect the physil and mental health of gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex wh men, whether they seek and are able to get health servic, and the qualy of the servic they may receive.
CIVIL RIGHTS LAW PROTECTS GAY AND TRANSGENR WORKERS, SUPREME COURT RUL
Such barriers to health mt be addrsed at different levels of society, such as health re settgs, work plac, and schools to improve the health of gay and bisexual men throughout their liv. Intify “safe spac, ” such as unselors’ offic, signated classrooms, or stunt anizatns, where gay and bisexual youth n get support om admistrator, teacher, or other school staff.