South Florida Sun Sentinel Removes Offensive Poll Following GLAAD Outreach
March 18, 2010 by Daryl Hannah, GLAAD's Media Field Strategist
On Thursday, GLAAD was alerted to a Sun-Sentinel online poll that asked if gun owners made better adoptive parents than gays and lesbians. The question, featured in the Florida paper’s online Today’s Buzz, section asked: “Who would make a better adoptive parent: a gun owner or a gay?”
At the crux of the online poll is the fact that Florida is the only state that explicitly prohibits adoption on the basis of sexual orientation. But the problematic survey combined the adoption ban with this week’s decision by Florida’s House of Representatives unanimous approval of House Bill 315. The bill would ban adoption agencies from asking would-be adoptive parents whether they keep guns at home.
Community members reached out to GLAAD with concerns about the framing of the question and we asked the newspaper to take the poll down. The paper complied.
While the Sentinel’s unscientific poll casually asked a meaningless question, 35,000 eligible children languish in the state’s foster care system and are denied permanent homes. These children are left in an endless cycle of frequent relocation to foster homes, years in state care and worse yet – aging out of the system because they were denied a loving, forever home and caring parents. Florida’s blanket adoption law disregards what is in the best interest of children. Bottom line – this hurts them.
GLAAD will continue to spotlight the concrete harms of Florida’s adoption ban and criticize media outlets that miss the mark in their coverage.
You can read more about Florida’s adoption ban here and here.
Related Posts:Report on Transgender Employment Discrimination in New York Finds Ongoing Bias
March 16, 2010 by Anna Wipfler, GLAAD's Transgender Advocacy Fellow
Julian Brolaski, a transgender man that was refused work at J. Crew (NY Daily News)
On Sunday, LGBT rights supporters gathered outside J Crew on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan to protest the results of a recent report that found the retailer biased against openly transgender applicants. Make the Road New York, a non-profit that promotes economic justice, equity and opportunity for all New Yorkers, conducted research into the hiring practices of 24 retail stores in Manhattan by sending two otherwise evenly matched applicants into the stores, one transgender and one not. On Sunday, they released their findings in a report titled “Transgender Need Not Apply: A Report on Gender Identity Job Discrimination.”
According to the New York Daily News, one of the openly transgender applicants, Yo Smith (a 39-year-old transwoman performance artist), did not receive a single job offer from the dozens of retailers she applied to, but her non-trans counterpart received eight.
Overall, the report “found a 42 percent net rate of discrimination for transgender job applicants… [and] 49 percent of transgender workers surveyed reported that they have never been offered a job in the time that they have lived openly as transgender.”
A listing of the results by employer can be found on The Gothamist blog. Atop the list sits J Crew, where one of the transgender test applicants “was treated brusquely, told to fill out an application and was never called,” while his cisgender* testing counterpart was interviewed on the spot and offered a job soon after.
As Make the Road New York’s Irene Tung told The Gothamist, “The two separate instances of discrimination are considered by the Attorney General and also by social scientists who specialize in matched pair testing, to be especially egregious because they represent a pattern of discrimination. So it is this pattern of discrimination we are singling out at J. Crew.” The group has filed a job-discrimination complaint with the New York State Attorney General’s Office.
The San Diego Gay & Lesbian News reported that this effort has been endorsed by the Retail, Wholesale, Department Store Union, FIERCE, LGBT Equality Coalition of Queens, Queers for Economic Justice and the Sylvia Rivera Law Project.
While New York City Human Rights Law prohibits discrimination on the basis of either sexual orientation or gender identity, openly transgender job applicants have continued to experience discrimination, as this report confirms. New York still lacks state-wide protections against discrimination on the basis of gender identity and expression, although advocates are hopeful that the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA) will pass through the New York Senate this year, after an early-March victory in the Assembly, where it has now passed three times.
GLAAD will continue to keep you updated on media coverage of employment discrimination against transgender people.
…
* In her book, Transgender History, Susan Stryker defines cisgender as preferred over nontransgender. The prefix cis means “on the same side as” (that is, the opposite of trans). The idea behind the term is to resist the way that “woman” or “man” can mean “nontransgender woman” or “nontransgender man” by default. “Cisgender” names the usually unstated assumption of nontransgender status contained in the words “man” and woman.”
Related Posts:UPDATE: Mississippi Safe Schools Commission Reports Dozens of Offers to Host LGBT Inclusive Prom
March 15, 2010 by Seth Adam, GLAAD's National News Fellow
The Mississippi Safe Schools Commission told USA Today on Monday that the group has received dozens of offers from across the nation to host an LGBT inclusive prom for the students at Itawamba Agricultural High School.
The offers come in response to that school’s decision to cancel prom after lesbian student Constance McMillen petitioned to bring her girlfriend to the event.
USA Today reports that “Matthew Sheffield of the Mississippi Safe Schools Coalition said his office was flooded by people looking to help.”
“We have so many people willing to donate money, resources, time,” Sheffield said. “We are trying to figure out what we are going to do.”
One such offer came from Sean Cummings, a hotel owner in New Orleans, who offered to supply transportation for all interested students, a venue and entertainment for the evening.
Openly lesbian comedian Wanda Sykes extended an offer of her own during Saturday’s episode of The Wanda Sykes Show on Fox.
SYKES: Constance, do you have any plans on April 17th?
CONSTANCE MCMILLEN: Uh, I don’t.
SYKES: You don’t? Well on April 17th, GLAAD, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, they’re presenting me with the Stephen F. Kolzak award. It’s given to an openly gay member of the entertainment community for, you know, standing up and trying to fight homophobia. And GLAAD, they allow the recipient to choose the person who they want to present them with the award and Constance, I would be honored if you could come out to LA, bring your girlfriend and present the award to me.
MCMILLEN: Wow. Thank you.
SYKES: So what do you say?
MCMILLEN: I would be happy to do it.
(For more information about the 21st Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles, click here)
GLAAD will continue to follow developments in this story. Updates can be found on GLAADblog.org
Related Posts:UPDATE: ACLU Sues Mississippi School after District Cancels Prom over Lesbian Couple
March 12, 2010 by Seth Adam, GLAAD's National News Fellow
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit on Thursday against a Mississippi high school that cancelled its prom after a lesbian student asked to bring her girlfriend to the event, according to ABC News.
“All I want is the same chance to enjoy my prom night like any other student. But my school would rather hurt all the students than treat everyone fairly,” said Constance McMillen, an 18-year-old senior at Itawamba Agricultural High School in Fulton, Mississippi. “This isn’t just about me and my rights anymore – now I’m fighting for the opportunity of all the students at my school to have our prom.”
Christine Sun, McMillen’s attorney and Senior Counsel with the ACLU national LGBT Project, told CBS’ The Early Show that the ACLU is “fighting tooth and nail” to the get the prom reinstated so “Constance can bring her girlfriend to the prom, wear a tuxedo, and everyone can be themselves.”
The lawsuit specifically asks the court to reinstate the prom for all students, charges that the First Amendment guarantees students’ right to bring same-sex dates to school dances, and cites cases holding that other parties’ objections don’t justify censorship. The ACLU also said that the school further violates McMillen’s free expression rights by telling her that she can’t wear a tuxedo to the prom.
GLAAD will continue to follow developments on the story. Be sure to check GLAADblog.org for updates.
Related Posts:Mississippi School District Cancels Prom over Lesbian Couple
March 11, 2010 by Seth Adam, GLAAD's National News Fellow
A Mississippi school district cancelled a local high school’s prom on Wednesday after an openly lesbian student asked to bring her girlfriend as a date, The Associated Press reported on Thursday.
In a statement released by the Itawamba County school district, school board members state that “Due to the distractions to the educational process caused by recent events, the Itawamba County School District has decided to not host a prom at Itawamba Agricultural High School this year.”
The student, Constance McMillen, 18, told Jackson, Miss. newspaper The Clarion Ledger that the cancellation is retaliation for her request to bring her girlfriend to the event.
“I feel like I should be able to go and be myself and not have to worry about what clothes I’m wearing or who I am bringing or who I’m dancing with,” McMillen said.
USA Today reports today that “school officials told McMillen last month that she could not bring her sophomore girlfriend to the prom and also told her she could not wear a tuxedo. The school then circulated a memo that prohibited same-sex dates.”
McMillen then contacted the Mississippi chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union about the ordeal.
ACLU attorney Christine Sun told USA Today that the ban on same-sex dates is a violation of McMillen’s constitutional rights. “We believe the law is pretty clear,” Sun said. “The school just can’t arbitrarily say you have to bring an opposite date to the prom.”
In hopes of circumventing the law, however, Itawamba County school district officials are urging citizens to organize a “private event” for the high school’s juniors and seniors. A private affair would not require LGBT inclusivity.
GLAAD will continue to follow developments in this story.
Related Posts:Salt Lake City DA Files Charges in Alleged Hate Crime
March 3, 2010 by Seth Adam, GLAAD's National News Fellow
The Salt Lake County District Attorney’s office has filed charges against seven individuals accused of physically assaulting two men in an alleged bias-motivated crime.
According to Salt Lake City Weekly, on July 5, 2008, DJ Bell, an openly gay man, claims he heard a knock at his door. Upon answering, Bell says he discovered a neighbor’s 2 year-old child and that child’s 4 year-old cousin. Before Bell could contact his neighbor about the wandering children, he heard screams from next door and was approached by his livid neighbor who accused him of kidnapping the two toddlers. Multiple suspects, presumed to be related to the mother, then broke into Bell’s home and severely beat him and his partner, Dan Fair. Bell suffered multiple head wounds, laceration of his throat and toe, and a loss of hearing in his right ear as a result of the brutal attack.
Bell and Fair allege that anti-gay bias is at the root of the assault.
Initially, Salt Lake City Police arrested Bell on charges of kidnapping. In a trial, however, jurors were not convinced, reportedly saying that the wrong person was on trial.
That jury later acquitted Bell of all charges.
Now, nearly 2 years later, the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office has filed a total of sixteen charges against the seven suspects accused of physically assaulting Bell and Fair.
GLAAD will continue to follow the media’s coverage of this case. Updates can be found on GLAADblog.org
Related Posts:GLAAD On the Ground In D.C. As Couples Prepare to Marry
March 3, 2010 by Anna Wipfler, GLAAD's Transgender Advocacy Fellow
Two of GLAAD’s media field strategists are in Washington, D.C. helping elevate the voices of numerous couples who are set to marry. By 9 am this morning, 60 same-sex couples had lined up outside the D.C. Superior Court to file their applications for marriage licenses, according to The Washington Post. Today marks the first day that the District of Columbia will accept same-sex applications, and the first couples will receive their licenses as soon as Tuesday, March 9th.
The Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Equality Amendment Act of 2009 passed the D.C. Council and was signed by D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty in December but then had to survive the mandatory congressional review period as well because Washington is a federal district. With the review period’s expiration on Tuesday and Supreme Court Justice Robert’s denial of a last-minute request by opponents to stay the new law, however, the marriage equality bill went into effect this morning, making D.C. the sixth location in the country to issue licenses to same-sex couples (joining Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont).
In preparation for the day, commemorative pens and celebratory cupcakes were on hand at the court. The Associated Press reported that the D.C. marriage bureau also changed the language of its applications and civil marriage ceremonies to be gender-neutral.
GLAAD media field strategists, Adam Bass and Daryl Hannah are on the ground in D.C. providing extensive media assistance to couples as they apply for their newly-legalized marriage licenses. GLAAD is proud to support loving couples who are making lifelong commitment to take care of and be responsible for one another. We’ll continue to keep you updated on all of the latest developments.
Related Posts:Five Gay and Lesbian Los Angeles Area Rabbis to Speak on Jewish Journal Panel
February 25, 2010 by Anna Wipfler, GLAAD's Transgender Advocacy Fellow
Zachary Shapiro (Temple Akiba) and Denise Eger (Kol Ami)
Dr. J.B. Sacks (Faculty, Academy for Jewish Religion)
On Tuesday, March 2, five gay and lesbian rabbis from the Los Angeles area will speak out during a panel sponsored by the Jewish Journal at the Writers Guild Theater in Beverly Hills, Calif., at 7:30 p.m. PST. Jewish leaders are increasingly progressive when it comes to LGBT inclusion. Reform, Conservative and Reconstruction Jewish traditions are on record for full inclusion of LGBT persons. As gay and lesbian rabbis in California, they know that the court challenge to Proposition 8 is just one of many efforts to let Californians and the country know that full and legal equality is the only fair and acceptable outcome.
Lisa Edwards (Beth Chayim Chadashim) and Jocee Hudson (Temple Israel of Hollywood)
With polls showing increasing support among diverse religious groups, it is clear that hearts and minds everywhere will be persuaded more quickly if progressive faith leaders speak out. To watch and listen through a live stream go to http://www.jewishjournal.com/live_broadcast.
Related Posts:Maryland Attorney General Says State Will Recognize Out-of-State Same-Sex Marriages
February 24, 2010 by Kellee Terrell, COAD Media Strategist @ GLAAD
After a year of waiting, at a press conference today in Annapolis, Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler stated that effectively immediately Maryland will recognize out-of-state same sex marriages.
Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler (D) said Wednesday that effective immediately, and until challenged in court, the state recognizes same-sex marriages performed elsewhere and that Maryland agencies should begin affording out-of-state gay couples all the rights they have been awarded in other places.
“State agencies in Maryland will recognize out-of-state gay marriages as of right now,” Gansler said at a news conference explaining the effect of a long-awaited opinion he released Wednesday morning.
This announcement comes hours after Gansler’s opinion was released stating that the state should recognize out-of-state same sex marriages. But it was unclear as to whether or not that opinion had legal standing:
Earlier in the day, most lawmakers in the state capital had interpreted Gansler’s opinion as having not gone that far. But Gansler said that in his role as the chief legal adviser to all executive branch agencies, his opinion now dictates how state agencies should respond when same-sex couples from elsewhere request benefits and legal protections they would have been awarded in the four New England states and Iowa, where same-sex marriages are legal.
The issue will soon become far less abstract in Maryland, with the District expected to begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples this spring.
“It’s not that foreign of a concept, I mean, it’s just people, it’s just like any other heterosexual couples,” Gansler said. “However a heterosexual couple is treated that was validly married in Maryland or elsewhere, [a same-sex couple] will be treated like that here in Maryland, unless and until a court or the legislature decides differently.”
Several legal scholars said the opinion appeared designed to spur court action, and Gansler acknowledged that he expects his opinion will be challenged quickly. He said it will likely be up to the state’s highest court to issue a final verdict, but he said he believes his opinion now provides a road map that didn’t exist for same-sex couples to win in court.
Many LGBT organizations have released statements. Here are a few:
“The Attorney General’s opinion is also consistent with Maryland’s public policy, which has steadily supported increasing legal protections for same-sex couples and their families. In recent years, the legislature has granted approximately 15 protections of legal marriage to same-gender couples in the areas of medical decision-making and inheritance,” said Morgan Meneses-Sheets, Executive Director of Equality Maryland.
“However, most of the 400+ state-level legal protections of marriage still remain out of reach to thousands of committed couples. Only civil marriage here at home and an end to discrimination by the federal government will provide full and equal protection under the law,” said Meneses-Sheets. “We call on state agencies honor the laws of Maryland by taking steps immediately to honor the legal marriages of these couples.”
“This important opinion is consistent with the long-standing tradition of legal recognition of valid marriages entered into in other states. And it is a positive development that will mean greater security, stability and peace of mind for legally married same-gender spouses whose marriages should rightfully be honored here at home,” said ACLU of Maryland Executive Director Susan Goering.
GLAAD:
“This is an important step as advocates in Maryland continue their work towards marriage equality,” said GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios. “Now more than ever, Maryland residents – and Americans everywhere- need to hear personal stories from loving and committed gay and lesbian couples at the heart of these decisions because as fair-minded people get to know these couples, public support for marriage equality grows.”
Related Posts:New NYC Welfare Procedure Addresses Anti-Transgender Discrimination
February 17, 2010 by Anna Wipfler, GLAAD's Transgender Advocacy Fellow
On Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning, TransJustice of the Audre Lorde Project, Housing Works, Queers for Economic Justice, and the Sylvia Rivera Law Project celebrated the recent victory of their collaborative Welfare Justice Campaign in preventing discrimination against transgender and gender non-conforming New Yorkers applying for public services.
The Human Resources Administration of the City of New York (HRA) adopted Procedure No. P-09-22 on December 23, 2009 after a five-year campaign led by the above organizations and a number of elected city officials. The Procedure circulated among all HRA staff, titled “Serving Transgender, Transsexual and Gender Nonconforming Individuals” highlights “a few key areas where employees should pay special attention to prevent creating a discriminatory or unwelcoming environment for transgender clients,” including Titles, Names and Pronoun usage, Access to Restrooms, and Dress Code.
At Wednesday morning’s press conference Jane Corbett, Executive Deputy Commissioner of the HRA expressed that there had been some initial trepidation over how city agencies would receive the new procedure but proudly announced that “there was not one negative reaction.” The procedure will ensure that HRA staff members comply with existing New York City Human Rights Law, amended in 2002 to explicitly protect transgender and gender non-conforming people from discrimination in public accommodations and services, employment and housing, and bias-related harassment.
Discussing the importance of this procedural victory, Tracy Bumpus of Housing Works questioned, “For Trans and Gender Non-Conforming people, what is the value of freedom if we are afraid to seek the life sustaining services offered by HRA because we are discriminated against, made fun of and made to feel less than human?” Their press release cites instances when transgender people applying for government benefits have been turned away and told to return “when they dress more like a girl, or boy.”
Trans and Gender Non-Conforming community members had been fighting this sort of discrimination since 2005 when the HRA along with a Citizen Advisory Transgender Sub Committee developed the draft of a comprehensive procedure, which formed the basis for the HRA Procedure finally implemented in December of 2009. In the wake of this victory, advocates are looking to oversee HRA training methods and curricula, as the implementation phase has presented stumbling blocks for cities that have adopted such procedures in the past.
GLAAD applauds these organizations for their persistence in ensuring that all New Yorkers have access to basic resources, and we encourage local media outlets to spotlight this landmark change in public service procedures.
Related Posts:Sylvia Rivera Law Project Hosts Benefit Art Auction on Thursday, Feb 18
February 16, 2010 by Anna Wipfler, GLAAD's Transgender Advocacy Fellow
On February 18th, our friends at the Sylvia Rivera Law Project (SRLP) will host their 5th annual party and benefit art auction at Participant Gallery in New York. SRLP is the nation’s leading legal and social advocacy group for transgender communities. The event, Small Works for Big Change, will auction works by 65 artists including Nicole Eisenman, Tony Feher, K8 Hardy, Matt Keegan, Emily Roysdon, Amy Sillman and others.
The event will also feature a live performance by Dynasty Handbag and films by Chitra Ganesh and Rashaad Newsome.
More than a benefit, Small Works for Big Change celebrates the critical work of SRLP and the radical creativity of New York’s most innovative emerging and established contemporary artists. To see the press release for this event, please visit http://srlp.org/swbcpress.
Small Works for Big Change Celebration to Benefit the Sylvia Rivera Law Project
Thursday, February 18, 2010, 6:30 – 9:30 PM
Participant Gallery
253 East Houston Street, NYC
For more information about the event please visit http://srlp.org/bigchange
Pennsylvania Courts Enact Domestic Partner Benefits for Staffers
February 3, 2010 by Daryl Hannah, GLAAD's Media Field Strategist
Nearly 2,000 Pennsylvania court officials and their staffers will be eligible for domestic-partner benefits on March 1, thanks to a new policy instated by the state’s Supreme Court. The policy, announced to through a memo with their paystubs, allows partners of gay and lesbian judges and staffers to be “included on the medical, dental, vision and prescription-drug plans currently offered to married heterosexual couples,” reports the Philadelphia Gay News.
“The Supreme Court has given this subject considerable review over a period of years and concluded that, as a matter of equality, providing these benefits was appropriate for same-sex couples,” Art Heinz, communications coordinator at the Administrative Office of the Pennsylvania Courts, said in a statement. “Same-sex couples are uniquely affected by their inability to obtain healthcare coverage, so this was something the court deemed to be appropriate.”
The idea of granting partners of gay and lesbian staffers domestic-partner benefits was introduced years ago, Supreme Court Justice Seamus McCaffrey, said.
According to the Philadelphia Gay news, Justice McCaffrey said: “I thought about it and somebody in the city’s sanitation department, or any other city worker, has access to medical coverage for their same-sex partners, but a judge does not, and that struck me as odd,” he said. “So I went back and spoke with my colleagues about that and we embarked on about 18 months of dialogue and research and come to a unanimous decision that this was an equal-rights issue that needed to be addressed immediately.”
Currently only a handful of court systems offer domestic-partner benefits, namely California and Illinois.
Related Posts:GLAAD Joins the LGBT Community in Remembering Equality Advocate Kevin Snow
January 26, 2010 by Seth Adam, GLAAD's National News Fellow
Kevin was born in Portsmouth, VA and lived in San Francisco. He served in the United States Navy, attended the University of Missouri at Kansas City, worked for part of his life as a stand-up comic, and served as Vice President of GPS-MIS for Bank of America in San Francisco.
Kevin also holds a unique and significant place in GLAAD’s history. Former GLAAD staff member, Cathy Renna, reflected on Kevin’s role in shaping LGBT history:
One of the great cultural markers for LGBT visibility was Ellen Degeneres’ coming out in 1997. One very unlikely place where the “coming out” episode of her show had the most impact was Birmingham, Alabama. GLAAD worked with local activists for weeks, and over 2500 people crammed into Bowtwell Auditorium to watch the coming out episode on April 30, 1997, via satellite.
The local ABC affiliate refused to air the show and the local community rose to the occasion. Tragically, Kevin Snow, the man behind what would become the largest LGBT event in Alabama history to this day, died suddenly [on Jan. 6].
Kevin was unapologetically out in Birmingham in 1997, no easy feat at the time, and as a stand-up comic with an activist’s heart he was the ideal person to bring the community together for this event.
At the time I was Community Outreach Liaison for GLAAD, which was just getting its feet as a national organization, and with my colleague Don Romesburg, we worked with Kevin and other local activists on every aspect of the event and the ensuing media. Kevin, however, was the heart and soul of the organizing. His spirit, humor, energy and complete sense of pride and confidence in his home and the people of Birmingham were an inspiration to all of us. It was the first time the local LGBT community had ever been so visible and the effect on the entire city was extraordinary. Kevin – and fellow Birmingham native Cathy Belue, a local lesbian and ironically also an amateur stand up comic – became the faces of the gay and lesbian community it changed their lives forever.
I will never forget the look on his face when he took to the stage as the show was about it air, grabbing the mic, seeing the thousands of people there and beaming with joy. Kevin often said that was the proudest moment of his life, and I understand many also said that at his funeral. GLAAD and the entire LGBT community owe a great debt to Kevin for his brave contribution to our collective history.
The day he picked Don and I up at the airport in April 1997, as we descended into what felt like what was about to be an unpredictable, exciting adventure, Kevin handed me a card. It was a picture of the Vulcan, a statue that sits high over Birmingham. Inside, Kevin wrote “this statue is a symbol of the real Birmingham: tall, proud, head of cast iron and ass hanging out.” Quintessential Kevin. I will miss him but will carry the memories of that time in Birmingham with me forever.
GLAAD extends its most heartfelt condolences to Kevin’s family, including his husband Tim Williams, and we thank Cathy Renna for her poignant reflections about GLAAD’s work with Kevin in 1997.
Memorial donations can be made in his name to The Trevor Project, a 24/7 suicide & crisis prevention helpline for gay and questioning youth.
Related Posts:Transgender Woman Murdered in Houston; Some Media Coverage Misses the Mark
January 25, 2010 by Seth Adam, GLAAD's National News Fellow
GLAAD joined Pride Houston on Monday in an effort to correct problematic news coverage about the tragic murder of Myra Chanel Ical, a transgender woman whose half-naked body was found in the Montrose area of Houston on Jan. 18.
Authorities have no suspects in the case.
The Houston Police Department issued a Press Release last Wednesday which incorrectly identified Ms. Ical by the male pronoun.
Following the BPD’s lead, The Houston Chronicle published an article on Jan. 20 which erroneously calls Ms. Ical “a man” and also uses the male pronoun. Both the BPD and The Houston Chronicle also list Ical’s birth name as primary identification.
Both The Associated Press and The New York Times’s style guidelines prohibit reporters from using a pronoun that an individual does not prefer.
From The Associated Press:
“Use the pronoun preferred by the individuals who have acquired the physical characteristics of the opposite sex or present themselves in a way that does not correspond with their sex at birth.
“If that preference is not expressed, use the pronoun consistent with the way the individuals live publicly.”
From The New York Times:
“Unless a former name is newsworthy or pertinent, use the name and pronouns (he, his, she her hers) preferred by the transgender person. If no preference is known, use the pronouns consistent with the way the subject lives publicly.”
Houston’s local Fox affiliate, KRIV-Fox 26, also failed to accurately report the murder, again incorrectly calling Ms. Ican “a man” and listing her birth name, rather than her lived name.
It should be noted, meanwhile, that Houston’s local CBS affiliate, KHOU-11, fairly and accurately reported on the murder and even reached out to the Transgender Foundation of America for its story:
After being alerted to the problematic coverage, GLAAD contacted Pride Houston to offer our assistance in the matter.
(To read Pride Houston President Meghan Stabler’s analysis of local media coverage, click here)
GLAAD has since reached out to both The Houston Chronicle and Fox-26 Houston and requested that their stories be changed to reflect accurate terminology.
A candlelight vigil for Myra Chanel Ical will be held tonight, January 25, 2010, at 9 P.M. at the site where Myra’s body was discovered. Please join over 160 confirmed attendees to remember Myra’s life and raise awareness about anti-transgender violence.
For more information about tonight’s vigil click here, or visit the Memorial for Myra Ical Facebook page.
Anyone who might know anything about this crime or who might have witnessed it is urged to call Crime Stoppers. Crime Stoppers will pay up to $5,000 for any information called in to the 713-222-8477 tips hotline or submitted online at www.crimestoppers.org that leads to the identification, arrest and/or charging of the any of the suspects in this case.
GLAAD will continue to insist that media fairly and accurately report on the murder of Myra Ical. Updates will be made available on GLAADblog.org
————————————————————————————————————
UPDATE: KRIV- Fox 26 Houston Drastically Improves Coverage after GLAAD Outreach
Last night, approximately 200 advocates and allies gathered on the 4300 block of Garrott in Houston to remember Myra Chanel Ical.
Fox 26 Houston was on the scene and made notable improvements in its reporting after GLAAD and Pride Houston reached out to the network.
Fox 26 originally identified Myra as a man and used her birth name instead of her lived name.
GLAAD applauds KRIV-Fox 26 Houston adhering to journalistic standards of fairness and staying in-line with contemporary usage. We will continue to act as a resource for Fox 26 in its future LGBT reporting.
Related Posts:Hearing Set on Bill that Would Ban Out-of-State Marriage Recognition in Maryland
January 25, 2010 by Kellee Terrell, COAD Media Strategist @ GLAAD
On Jan 16, Maryland Delegate Emmett Burns (D-Baltimore County) introduced House Bill 90, a bill that would ban recognizing out-of –state marriages for gay and lesbian couples in Maryland. If this bill were to pass, it would affect many LGBT couples, especially those in neighboring Washington D.C., who will be allowed to legally marry on March 2nd.
Maryland law has defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman since 1973. The state recognizes marriages performed in other jurisdictions according to the “full faith and credit” clause of the U.S. Constitution, but current marriage law does not address recognition of same-sex marriages.
The federal Defense of Marriage Act, enacted into law in 1996, allows states to decide whether to recognize same-sex marriages.
“The issue is knocking on our doors,” Burns said. “People will be flying over here, wanting to force us to accept their marriage licenses.”
“Our back door is open, and it needs to be closed.”
The article also discussed that Burns introduced this bill despite the Maryland Attorney General Douglas Gansler saying that he would make a decision on this matter:
Sen. Richard Madaleno, D-Montgomery, asked Gansler to issue an opinion on the matter last May. Gansler will interpret existing Maryland law on marriage recognition to arrive at his opinion. The opinion will also take into consideration legal precedent set nationwide, including that of the Proposition 8 trial currently being argued in California.
“There has been a lot of movement on this issue,” said Raquel Guillory, spokeswoman for the attorney general. “That’s why we’ve been very methodical in drafting this opinion.”
Guillory could not give a timetable for the decision, but said it would be made this year. She said Burns’ bill would have no bearing on Gansler’s opinion unless it passed before the opinion was issued.
The bill hits close to home for Delegate Heather Mizeur, D-Montgomery, who married her partner in 2008 in a civil ceremony in California. (They had their formal marriage ceremony in 2005.) The marriage is still considered legal in that state, in the district and in six other states, but not in Maryland.
A hearing about House Bill 90 will take place at the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday, January 28th, 2009 at 1 PM in Room 100 in the Lowe Office Building located at 6 Bladen Street, Annapolis, Maryland.
Equality Maryland is asking for LGBT advocates in their state to show opposition to this bill by testifying at the hearing or providing moral support by just showing up.
The Attorney General’s office is currently considering an official opinion as to whether Maryland should honor legal out of state same-sex marriages. This bill would prevent the enforcement of a positive opinion, thereby creating yet another area of law in which we are discriminated against.
We hope that you will join us for the hearing next week! We cannot allow this bill or any other piece of legislation to invalidate the commitment of hundreds of Maryland couples! Please, plan to join us for this important hearing.
To RSVP with Equality Maryland, click here.
GLAAD will continue to monitor this story and provide updates.
Related Posts:
