#queerally

[image description: a poster with a block of text describing the problem of LGBTQ+ scientists still in the closet yearning for a safe space to work above two flags with statements written in each stripe of the flags - listing how one can be a better ally in their work space]

The bill below failed. But it is 2011 and there are still people out there trying to create laws to deny our loved ones basic civil rights. We have to stay aware and speak up. I have two children. Many people believe that only one of them should be protected under the Constitution. I hope that the day will soon be here when our children and grandchildren find the notion of LGBTQ people being viewed as second-class citizens as absurd as separate drinking fountains for people of African descent. LGBTQ civil rights and legal protection from discrimination and hate crimes is gaining ground-  in baby steps. We have to make sure that it continues to progress (faster) NOT regress

MLK and Rustin

As we remember the day the world lost Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 43 years ago, remember not only his historic speech "I Have A Dream", but also that the march on Washington (1963) where he delivered that speech was organized by a gay man (Bayard Rustin).  You probably haven't heard of Rustin, even though he was an advisor to Dr. King and a major force in the civil rights movement. Why? Well there are several reasons speculated but most people agree that a major factor was him being an openly gay man - something that was considered criminal in his day. It has been 48 years and since Rustin organized hundreds of thousands of people marching for civll rights,with almost no credit. One of the lines in Dr. King's speech was:

No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.

Let's not rest until justice is afforded to all of our people- including the LGBTQ community.

Montana Bill to Ban Local Transgender, Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Protections Abandoned by Senate

 Senate Sends Bill Back to Committee to Die Day After Receiving TLDEF Letter

April 4, 2011 - Montana House Bill 516 - which would have made it unlawful for any city, town or county in the state to pass a law protecting transgender, lesbian, gay or bisexual Montanans from discrimination - is all but dead.  Just one day after receiving TLDEF’s letterexpressing concerns about the bill’s constitutionality, the Montana Senate sent the bill back to committee to die.  Last Friday, that committee concluded its work without reviving the bill. So while nothing is guaranteed until the full legislature's session ends on April 29th, as of last Friday, the time for virtually all of the maneuvers that could resuscitate the bill had expired.  The bill had previously passed the Montana House of Representatives.We congratulate the ACLU of Montana, the Montana Human Rights Network, and all of the individuals who spoke out against HB 516 and turned the tide against it.  We are thrilled to have helped turn back this attempt to strip transgender, lesbian, gay and bisexual Montanans of their constitutional rights.  LGBT Montanans want the same right to live and work free from discrimination that everyone else enjoys.  It is unconstitutional to target them by taking away their right to pass local laws that protect them from the discrimination that they face in the cities and towns where they live.  The government must treat people equally.  It violates the Constitution when it closes its doors to its transgender, lesbian, gay and bisexual residents simply because some people do not like them.On April 12, 2010, the City Council of Missoula, Montana passed an ordinance protecting transgender, lesbian, gay and bisexual residents from discrimination.  Opponents of that law's passage introduced HB 516 in the Montana House of Representatives earlier this year with the specific goal of striking down Missoula’s ordinance and ensuring that no city, town or county in the state could ever enact a law protecting transgender, lesbian, gay or bisexual people from discrimination again.

HB 516 was motivated solely by bias towards transgender, lesbian, gay and bisexual people, which is a constitutionally impermissible basis for legislation.  It would have deprived transgender, lesbian, gay and bisexual people of their right to participate in the political process and seek help from their local governments.  And it would have turned transgender, lesbian, gay and bisexual Montanans into strangers to a broad swath of Montana’s government, violating constitutional guarantees of equal protection.

HB516 was wrongheaded, mean-spirited and unconstitutional and we are thrilled to see it all but dead.  We will keep you updated on any additional developments.  As always, thank you for your support.