Florida Agenda

IRVING, TEXAS – On Tuesday, the Boy Scouts of America reaffirmed its longstanding policy to exclude LGBT persons, setting off a firestorm of criticism directed at the 102-yearold organization. The decision of an 11-member special committee— which deliberated in secret for two years—upholding the ban means that BSA’s national executive board will take no further action with respect to the rule.

Jennifer Tyrrell, the gay mother who was forced to quit serving as her son’s Scout den leader, was in Dallas this week, where she delivered a 300,000-signature petition to the national headquarters of BSA. The petition, launched in April after Tyrrell’s unceremonious ouster, asked BSA to end their policy prohibiting gay scouts and scout leaders, and to reinstate her to her Scouting post.

Scouting officials cited support from parents across the country as a reason for upholding the exclusion policy. BSA national spokesman Deron Smith said that the ban “is absolutely the best policy” for Scouting. According to Smith, the decision of the committee—which was comprised of professional scout executives and adult volunteers— was unanimous.

It reaffirms a longstanding policy that was upheld in 2000 by the U.S. Supreme Court. LGBT rights groups expressed anger over the decision. “With the country moving toward inclusion, the leaders of the Boy Scouts of America have instead sent a message to young people that only some of them are valued,” said Chad Griffin, President of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC).

WASHINGTON, D.C. – According to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) latest survey, Chevron, Bank of America and AT&T all get top mark as the best workplaces for LGBT employees. The Human Rights Campaign is the nation’s biggest advocacy and lobbying group that backs civil rights for LGBT people.

Of the 20 largest American companies by revenues, ten got scores of “100,” meaning they met all of the HRC’s Corporate Equality Index criteria for providing an inclusive, discrimination-free work environment. The top-rated big companies cover a range of industries, from finance to automobiles to technology and health care. Ford Motor, Cardinal Health and IBM also got top ratings.

The index looks at discrimination policies that protect employees based on sexual orientation and gender identity, at insurance and other benefits for same sex partners, and at companies’ abilities to recruit and retain LGBT workers.

This is the tenth year HRC has done the survey, which has expanded from rating the 500 biggest U.S. companies to evaluating a total of 850 businesses, including more than 200 law firms. A decade ago, just 13 businesses got a top score. This year, 190 did.

HRC made its evaluation more stringent than in years past, rating companies on 40 different policies and practices, 32 of which were new or stricter. For instance, this year for the first time, companies had to include insurance coverage for gender reassignment surgery in order to get a top rating. Among the big companies that earned a score of 100, a spokeswoman at Citigroup says that its coverage of transgender insurance benefits is new this year. JP Morgan Chase has offered the coverage since 2009. A total of 207 companies surveyed are offering the gender reassignment coverage or will do so as of next year.

ExxonMobil had the poorest showing, with a rating of negative 25. A representative of the HRC explained that in 1999 when Exxon acquired Mobil Oil, Exxon did away with Mobil’s non-discrimination policy that included sexual orientation and it offered domestic partner benefits. Exxon has since opposed shareholder resolutions to restore the old policy and benefits.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) honored New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg last weekend for his work in supporting same-sex marriage in the state.

Bloomberg was widely credited for his public lobbying for the passage of the same-sex marriage act, which passed in Albany in June. The billionaire mayor also financed the cause, making donations to Republican state senators whose votes were needed for the bill to pass.

“This has been a remarkable year in the fight for LGBT equality,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese.

“We’re thrilled to be joined by national leaders and inspiring artists as we celebrate our victories and redouble our efforts for the fights that remain ahead.”

VEGAS NIGHT
Saturday, August 20, starting at 8 p.m.  to 12:30 a.m. This is always a great-time event and a great benefit for Hope & Help. Play the real games: Blackjack, Roulette, Slots and Craps. Win a $500 gift card to Seminole Hard Rock and Casino. The first runner-up will win a Pride Weekend stay and show at the Parliament House. The Footlight Players perform a Las Vegas spectacular with shows at 10 and midnight.

MISS QUEEN OF COMEDY
To be held at the Parliament House (410 N Orange Blossom Trail (W Livingston St) in downtown Orlando) on Monday, August 22 at 9 p.m. For contestant information and seating, contact Loc Robertson at www.facebook.com; Miss Comedy Queen.

Other upcoming pageants at the Parliament House:

MISS GAY ORLANDO – Monday, October 17, at 9 p.m.

SUNSHINE STATE ALL AMERICAN GODDESS and ALL AMERICAN GODDESS AT LARGE – Monday, November 14, at 9 p.m. Official state preliminary to Miss All American Goddess and All American Goddess at Large. For contestant information, contact Derek at www.sunshinestateaag.com.

MISS METROPOLITAN CONTINENTAL PLUS and ELITE – Monday, December 5, at 9 p.m. Official preliminary to Miss Continental Plus and Miss Continental Elite.

For contestant information, contact Jim Demundo at (407) 281-2820.

RED-LIGHT, GREEN-LIGHT PARTY
Monday, August 22, from 8 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. at Revolution Nightclub, 375 S. Bumby Avenue in Orlando. No cover ‘til 11 p.m. for 21+ (18+ welcome), $3 before 11 p.m. $8 after 11 p.m. (18-20 yrs.). Wear red if you’re taken, wear green if you’re single and ready to mingle. Free drinks 11 to 11:30 p.m. plus additional drink specials. Free Latin buffet. D.J. Lui Lou spinning the best in Salsa, Merengue, Raggaeton, Bachata and more. The hottest Hip/Hop and Reggaeton mixes in the Hydrate Video Bar. Orlando’s hottest Latin diva show at 12:30 a.m. featuring Lisa Lane, Sexia Lopez, Maya Andrews and Shantell d’Marco.

HRC CONNECT
Human Rights Campaign invites you and your friends to the August edition of HRC Connect at Steel Nightclub-Orlando on Tuesday, August 23, from 6 to 8 p.m. Steel is Orlando’s hottest new upscale nightclub featuring nightly happy hours, amazing dejays playing all your favorite dance beats, monthly theme events, hot dancers and divas. HRC Connect is a monthly free event and is a great way for the Orlando LGBT community and straight allies to get together in a social environment for a worthy cause: equality and lots of networking. For more information on this event or for volunteer opportunities, email orlando@hrcconnect.org or visit www.hrc.org/orlando.

ORLANDO BEAR BASH
Thursday, September 15, from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the Sheraton Orlando Downtown Hotel. Orlando Bear Bash is a unified gathering of Bear, Leather and Uniform men and their respective admirers. The event is being held from September 15-18, 2011, in sunny Orlando, Florida. With a consistent theme of unity, Orlando Bear Bash endeavors to bring these communities together. They will provide the attendees with a blend of circuit headliners and local talent through a packed schedule of events that bring you so much of what Orlando has to offer. The packed schedule of events include pool parties, leather and uniform cigar parties, The Big Gay Game Show, Karaoke, our own BLU (Bear, Leather and Uniform) Ball, and many other events. Check out their full schedule of events and check back regularly because events will be added. Visit http://www.orlandobearbash.com.

ORLANDO PRIDE
October 7 through 10. Nationally recognized celebrities and entertainment, respected speakers, scores of vendors, and the longest parade in the history of Orlando Pride all have contributed to this special event that continues to break records for Orlando LGBT festivals in which attendance has doubled or tripled each year. The Come Out with Pride committee is comprised of volunteers who are dedicated to bringing a free, world-class event to Central Florida. For more information, visit www.comeoutwithpride.com.

ADELE
Thursday, October 13, at Hard Rock Live Orlando, October 13, 2011,  from 7 to 10 p.m. Tickets go on sale Friday, July 22. Ticket prices are: $115 reserved lower balcony; $85 reserved upper balcony; $65 general admission standing floor.

BACK DOOR BUMBY
Revolution Nightclub (375 S. Bumby Ave (408) in Downtown Orlando) along with GRINDR (iPhone App) and MyFlexRadio presents: “Back Door Bumby: Enter Through the Back” every 3rd Thursday of the month. No cover when you show your GRINDR or MyFlexRadio App. No cover ‘til 11pm for those 21+ (18+ welcome) and no cover ‘til 12 midnight with college or theme park ID. Performances by: Shantell D’Marco and Macaviti. D.J. Joanie on the decks in the disco area and V.J. J.B. Burgos in the Hydrate Video Bar.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – “On the Road to Equality” is the Human Rights Campaign’s nationwide bus tour to spread the message of equality by educating the American public and empowering lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people to become advocates for themselves and their families. The 12-week tour will travel to 17 cities in 11 states and the District of Columbia, with particular emphasis on the Midwest and south where there are limited legal protections for LGBT people and living openly and honestly can be difficult. The tour comes as a new nationwide poll from HRC finds that Americans widely support LGBT equality issues, but more work remains to be done.

HRC’s new poll, conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, shows support for equal marriage at 51 percent (43 percent in the Midwest and south), in line with other national polls on the issue. Support for non-discrimination protections for LGBT people in employment, housing and public accommodations is strong nationally at 79 percent, as is support for protections against bullying in schools at 73 percent.  Respondents also overwhelmingly say anti-gay discrimination is a problem (79 percent) and anti-transgender discrimination is a problem (74 percent).

The tour plans to make stops at Salt Lake City, Utah, Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska, Lawrence, Kansas, Kansas City, Missouri, New Orleans, Louisiana, Austin and College Station, Texas, Little Rock, Arkansas, Louisville and Lexington, Kentucky, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Georgia, Birmingham and Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Jacksonville and Orlando, Florida.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, sent a letter to Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus questioning a new RNC website that demonizes progress toward LGBT equality. The website, “Hope Isn’t Hiring,” directly mentions HRC, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization and a Washington Post article detailing President Obama’s work to eliminate discrimination against the LGBT community.

“The Case Against Obama: Social Issues” gave ten points:

1. Despite it being the law of the land, Obama refused to continue to defend the Defense of Marriage Act in court.
2. Obama repealed “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” while the U.S. troops are still on the battlefield.
3. Despite Obama’s misleading rhetoric, ObamaCare will provide federal funding for abortions.
4. Obama rescinded the Conscience Clause, exposing doctors and nurses to discrimination.

5. Obama has repeatedly nominated liberal extremists to the federal bench.
6. Obama opposed California’s Prop 8 and has expanded government recognition of same-sex couples.
7. Obama ordered Federal tax dollars to support embryonic stem cell research until a Federal judge intervened.
8. Obama supports Planned Parenthood and its Federal funding of abortions.
9. Obama is against school choice and giving parents control over their children’s education.
10. Many Americans no longer feel that the President shares their values.

“From the way in which certain issues are detailed, reasonable people would conclude that the RNC believes in discrimination against LGBT people,” wrote Solmonese. “You [the RNC] sensationalize issues like hospital visitation rights for loving families and ending housing discrimination when the truth is Americans agree that these are the right things to do.”

Health Facilities Nationwide Poised to Add LGBT-Inclusive Non-Discrimination Policies

By DMITRY RASHNITSOV

A new analysis of healthcare equality by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation found that the vast majority of U.S. healthcare facilities don’t have fully inclusive policies toward lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, according to the 2010 Healthcare Equality Index (HEI).  In a bit of good news for the LGBT community, sweeping new changes will soon dramatically alter how LGBT people interact with the healthcare system.

The results in South Florida are mixed but more encouraging, especially after the fiasco that occurred at Jackson Memorial hospital nearly three years ago where a lesbian and her children were denied the chance to see her partner on her death bed.

In Fort Lauderdale at Broward General, the hospital does have written sexual Orientation protections in their Patients’ Bill of Rights but nothing about gender identity. They also do not have written policies pertaining to equal visitation rights for same-sex patients or equal visitation rights for same-sex parents. The same exact criteria applies to Joe DiMaggio Children’s hospital in Hollywood and the five Memorial Hospital System hospitals in Broward County.

In Miami, a different story is seen. At the three Jackson Health System hospital throughout Dade County, patients bills of rights include protections for sexual orientation and gender identity.

Also, same-sex partners have equal visitation rights and same-sex parents can freely go see their kids. At Jackson, these policies were recently changed because of the bad publicity the hospital received when Janice Langbehn was denied the chance to say goodbye to Lisa Pond as she lay dying at the hospital in 2007.

The HEI 2010 comes following President Obama’s memorandum in April directing Health and Human Services (HHS) to make rules that require all hospitals that receive federal Medicare and Medicaid funding – nearly every hospital in America – to protect the visitation and healthcare decision-making rights of LGBT people. It also comes as the Joint Commission, which accredits and certifies healthcare facilities, has announced new, fully inclusive patient non-discrimination standards as part of their accreditation process.

Together, these developments mean that LGBT healthcare equality is going to improve nationwide.

“The healthcare landscape for LGBT patients and their families is about to change dramatically,” said Joe Solmonese, president of the HRC Foundation. “We all know horror stories of loved ones torn apart, already heart-wrenching decisions made even harder, and basic human rights denied.  Bold action by the President and the Joint Commission mean many of those stories will be a thing of the past – and not a moment too soon, because as of right now huge challenges remain on the books.”

The HEI 2010 independently reviewed a representative sample of 200 of the largest healthcare facilities nationwide. The report found that in all 50 states – and even in historically LGBT-friendly cities like San Francisco and New York – there are facilities that do not fully protect LGBT people from healthcare discrimination.  Ninety-three percent of healthcare facilities included in the study do not have fully inclusive policies toward LGBT people, and 42 percent don’t include “sexual orientation” in their Patients’ Bill of Rights/non-discrimination policy.

In addition, the healthcare reform bill passed by Congress and signed by the President, while a step forward for all Americans, failed to address important issues facing LGBT people.  It did not end the unfair taxation of employer-provided domestic partner health benefits, it did not permit states to offer early HIV treatment under Medicaid and it did not mandate collection of critical health data on LGBT people.

For more information on the report, visit: www.hrc.org/hei2010.