RA-news

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Newsletter of the Rainbow Alliance at the University of Florida April 2005, Vol. 3, No. 7 Please contribute to the Rainbow Alliance Fund. Our next Rainbow Alliance dinner/meeting will be on Thursday, April 14, at 6:30 pm at Emiliano’s Restaurant in Downtown Gainesville. Events to watch for: Throughout April -- Pride Awareness Month Activities (see story below) April 28 -- Lavender Graduation The Rainbow Alliance is the staff and faculty organization at the University of Florida concerned with matters related to sexual orientation and gender identity. RA welcomes all members of the University community who share its goals.

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Contents First Words -- A Glimpse of the Future Features Rainbow Alliance Awards/Multicultural Awards April is Pride Awareness Month Lavender Graduation New York City to Respect Same-Sex Marriages from Other Jurisdictions Connecticut on Verge of Civil Unions Kansas Bans Same-Sex Unions Departments Update on RA Projects Contributing to the Rainbow Alliance Fund Resources How To Join Rainbow Alliance Contributors to This Issue of RA-News

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First Words A Glimpse of the Future One of the priveleges of working on a University campus is getting to know the students, and watching their energy and creativity as their lives and careers begin to take shape. This month, the focus in on our LGBT students and their allies in our two student groups, Pride Student Union and Gator Gay-Straight Alliance. These groups provide support for LGBT students and for the LGBT community at large. They add to the university's diversity and enrich the learning and life experience of all students. We especially want to honor three of our students who were recently presented with Rainbow Alliance Awards. You can read the details in the story below, which I can encourage you to do. It will encourage you to see the dpeth and intensity that these students applied in the service and research for which they received awards. I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank each of you who contributed to the Rainbow Alliance Fund in the last year. Your contributions make it possible for us add something tangible (in the form of a check) to the award. I hope as you read about the awardees, you will feel like a special part of recognizing these students and encouraging in their future work. [top]

Features

Rainbow Alliance Awards/Multicultural Awards On March 29, 2005, the Rainbow Alliance Awards for Research/Service to the LGBT community were presented to Allison Andrews, Melissa Goodman, and Laura Heston. These awardees were selected by a subcommittee of the LGBT Concerns committee based on their outstanding achievements. (The Rainbow Alliance Awards are paid for by the Rainbow Alliance Fund.) The following is taken from the event program. Allison Andrews, the winner of the Rainbow Alliance Service Award, is an inspiring student leader who continues guide and encourage many other students at UF and whose leadership has extended outwards to the Gainesville LGBT community. As the president of the Pride Student Union, and in her service before she assumed that role, Allison has contributed greatly to the LGBT community at UF and has touched the lives of many allies as well through dedicated and tireless service. Among hew accomplishments are: increasing the diversity of the board and membership of PSU, producing a high quality Intercollegiate Pride Conference, pioneering a peer-to-peer mentoring program, strengthening the connection between UF LGBT students and the Gainesville community through Homecoming participation and other events and overseeing many other successful programs through PSU. She has done all this while maintaining a high GPA in Engineering. So much to proud of! Melissa Goodman has been awarded a Rainbow Alliance Research Award for her innovative and important research as a doctoral student in Counseling Psychology. Her inquiry into the nature of anti-lesbian and anti-gay attitudes and behaviors is particularly timely and significant. The breadth of her research has engaged participants of many ages and stages of life, at UF and throughout the Gainesville community. Her research has the potential to inform future education and violence prevention programs aimed at reducing anti-lesbian and anti-gay attitudes and behaviors. It is not only bold and creative, but also grounded in Goodman's commitment to "rigorous scientific research that is also LGBT-affirming" and will thus "positively impact" the lives of the those in our community. Laura Heston has been awarded a Rainbow Alliance Research Award for her study of the effect of student engagement in LGBT clubs on their identity, self-esteem, self-efficacy, feeling of stigmatization and academic achievement. Her independence in framing and pursuing this research is deeply tied to her strong commitments to counter heterosexism and homophobia, not only in her life, but also in her academic work. Though she will be graduating and leaving the University of Florida, her inquiry into the meaning of involvement in UF's Pride Student Union and Gator Gay-Straight Alliance should benefit students here long after her departure. Congratulations to these talented students. [top]

April is Pride Awareness Month For several years, the Pride Student Union has turned April into Pride Awareness Month, a series of events throughout the month ranging from speakers to dances. We're already well into this year's Pride Awareness Month, so some of the events in following list have already happened – They are included so you can see what a great program PSU has created. For more information about any of the events, visit the Praide Awareness Month 2005 Web site at <http://grove.ufl.edu/~pam/index.htm>. Pride Awareness Month 2005 Events 1 — XtremeFest Carnival 4 — Riki Wilchins 6 — My Big Fat Gay Wedding 6 — OUTspoken: An Evening of Spoken Word 7 — Lunch with Pride 7 — Disabilities Cabinet Speaker 8 — Queer Ball 9 — Picnic 11 — PSU Elections 12 — Multi-Cultural Lunch 12 — Movie Night 13 — Day of Silence 13 — Bowling 14 — American Divas 18 — Women's Music Festival [top]

Lavender Graduation For the past few years, a special graduation ceremony has been held to honor LGBT graduates. It's a very special occasion called Lavender Graduation. This year's event is scheduled for April 28 at 5:30 in a section of the Reitz Union. Among other presentations, a few words will be said about Rainbow Alliance for our graduates. [top]

New York City to Respect Same-Sex Marriages from Other Jurisdictions Last week, New York City became the sixth New York State municipality to officially recognize same-sex unions from other jurisdictions, such as Vermont, Massachusetts, Canada or other foreign nations. This status was confirmed in letter dated April 6 from Anthony W. Crowell, Special Counsel to Mayor Michael Bloomberg, to Alan Van Cappelle, executive director of Empire State Pride Agenda, the New York organization that had sought the opinion. According to the letter: "... it is the policy of the City of New York to recognize equally all marriages, whether between same- or opposite-sex couples and civil unions lawfully entered into in jurisdictions other than New York State, for the purposes of extending and administering all rights and benefits belonging to these couples, to the maximum extent allowed by law. Also, please note that New York City recognizes equally domestic partnerships entered into in other jurisdictions in a similar manner." The six localities in New York State that now fully recognize unions of same-sex couples are: Buffalo, Rochester, Brighton, Ithaca, Nyack, and New York City. This means that approximately 9 million of New York State's 19 million people now live in municipalities where same-sex unions are fully recognized. Ironically, that is more than the entire population of Massachusetts. New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer had issued an opinion that marriages and civil unions of same-sex couples performed outside the state should be treated as valid marriages in New York State. This placed Mayor Bloomberg, a Republican, in an awkward position, and LGBT groups sought clarification of the city's policy. "Mayor Bloomberg has taken a big step in the right direction," said Alan Van Capelle, executive director of Empire State Pride Agenda, the group that sought the City Hall opinion. According to one Conservative spokesperson, the mayor's decision was in response to low poll numbers and an attempt to gain as much support in the LGBT community as possible. Nevertheless, Bloomberg is on record as supporting the right of same-sex couple to marry. The issue of same-sex marriage is working its way through the courts in New York. The governor, George Pataki, has stated hat he is adamantly opposed to same-sex marriage. Popular support for same-sex marriage is over 50%, according to a recent poll conducted by Global Strategy Group for Empire State Pride Agenda. The poll found that 51% of New Yorkers support marriage for same-sex couples and 42% do not. This is an increase in support over a similar poll one year ago in which 47% were for, and 46% were against. When asked about specific rights such as child custody rights and power of attorney, the approval rates were much higher. Over 70% of New Yorkers favored civil unions and domestic partner arrangements as avenues to provide legal rights to same-sex couples Read the letter from Mayor Bloomberg's office. Read more about the survey: <http://www.prideagenda.org/pressreleases/pr-04-06-05.html> [top]

Connecticut on Verge of Civil Unions On April 6, the Connecticut Senate approved by 27 to 9 a bill which would legalize same-sex civil unions in the state. The bill is expected to pass in the Connecticut House as well and then go to the Republican governor, M. Jodi Rell. Rell has supported GOP efforts toward amendments defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman, but she will face considerable pressure to sign the bill. Rell has said that she would like to see language in the final bill that allows civil unions but defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman. The bill guarantees that same-sex couples would enjoy the same rights as opposite-sex couples in the state. It was supported by a great majority of Democrat senators and a handful of Republican senators. Sen. John McKinney, R-Fairfield, stated "By doing what we're doing today, by standing up and saying that in the state of Connecticut there are people among us who are gays and lesbians in long-term, committed relationships, we will go a long way as a society to make people feel accepted as members of our society." McKinney's father, U.S. Rep. Stuart McKinney, died from AIDS-related causes in the late 1980s. At that time, he and his family received a great deal of hate mail, much of it claiming that McKinney's father must have been gay to have died from AIDS. Through that experience, McKinney got a taste of the hatred and discrimination that can be directed toward LGBT people, and according to McKinney, he learned from that experience ho important it is to oppose discrimination. Stuart McKinney is the namesake of the 1987 Stuart McKinney Act which has the goal of reducing homelessness, which often results from severe mental or physical illness. Polls show that the bill has popular support in Connecticut, nevertheless, opponents plan to fight. The bill may face procedural blocks in the Connecticut House of Representatives. An amendment to the bill that would have required a referendum was defeated. [top]

Kansas Bans Same-Sex Unions Last week, Kansas joined 17 other states in amending their state constitution to prevent same-sex marriage. The amendment reads: § 16. Marriage. (a) The marriage contract is to be considered in law as a civil contract. Marriage shall be constituted by one man and one woman only. All other marriages are declared to be contrary to the public policy of this state and are void. (b) No relationship, other than a marriage, shall be recognized by the state as entitling the parties to the rights or incidents of marriage. The amendment was approved by voted by a margin of 70-29%. In toto, approximately 600,000 Kansans voted in the referendum. Despite the apparent victory, Matt Daniels, national director for the Alliance for Marriage, a group that supports banning same-sex marriage, stated that he thought ultimately, "All these state amendments are going to be struck down by federal judges." Daniels also said that opponents of same-sex marriage are caught in a race between the democratic process and the federal courts. Daniels supports an amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibiting same-sex marriage. A number of states that have passed bans are beginning to experience unintended consequences. According to some, the amendments are often over-simplified. In Nebraska, the attorney general determined that their state amendment ties th hands of legislators in giving domestic partners burial rights. Michigan's law may scuttle benefits for domestic partners of state employees. In Ohio, domestic partners of any sexual orientation may no longer be covered by domestic violence laws. Other possible implications: Companies may decide to drop domestic-partner benefits. Insurance companies may refuse to pay for medical care. Hospitals may be less likely to allow one partner to make medical decisions for the other. Child custody and inheritance also could be complicated. Similar proposals will be on the ballot next year in Alabama, South Dakota and Tennessee. More about Ohio: A judge has ruled that Ohio's new constitutional ban on same-sex marriage prohibits unmarried people from being able to file domestic violence charges. [...] Burk, 42, is accused of slapping and pushing his live-in girlfriend during a January argument over a pack of cigarettes. His public defender, David Magee, had asked the judge to throw out the charge because of the new wording in Ohio's constitution that prohibits any state or local government from enforcing a law that would "create or recognize a legal status for relationships of unmarried individuals." Prior to the amendment's approval, courts applied the domestic violence law by defining a family as including an unmarried couple living together as would a husband and wife, the judge said. The new amendment banning same-sex marriage no longer allows that. Great article about unintended consequences: <http://hnn.us/articles/5919.html> [top]

Departments

April 2005 Update on Rainbow Alliance Plans If you haven't had a chance to attend a dinner, it might be difficult to keep up with the progress of RA projects. We'll try to keep you current with a monthly update. 1) Rainbow Alliance Fund at the University of Florida Foundation The Fund (established March 2003) is the only one of its kind at the UF Foundation specifically dedicated to the support of the LGBT community at UF. The Fund needs continuing support if we are to realize our goals. As always, details about contributing to the Rainbow Alliance Fund can be found at the end of the newsletter. Details about payroll deduction will be e-mailed to RA members soon. Contributions to this Fund are fully tax-deductible. 2) Alumni We're in the process of forming an alumni steering committee. Also, our first alumni event is scehduled for Homecoming 2005... Details to come! 3) Of course, we'll continue our monthly dinners. We hope to see you there! 4) We're working on outreach to LGBT faculty and staff at other universities and junior colleges in Florida. If you have any contacts who would like to be on the Rainbow Alliance mailing list, please send them to cmb@ifas.ufl.edu. We're very interested in what is going on on other campuses. Maybe we can support and help each other. [top]