Daily Archives: July 16, 2015
EEOC says employment discrimination based on sexual orientation already illegal in US
EEOC says employment discrimination based on sexual orientation already illegal in US
The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ruled Thursday (16 July) that gay, lesbian, and bisexual workers are already protected against sexual orientation-based employment discrimination through existing federal law.
The EEOC decision is seen as a landmark advance and follows a 2012 ruling that was based on gender identity or expression.
Now anyone who works for an employer with 15 or more employees can file a charge of sex discrimination with the EEOC if they are discriminated against because of sexual orientation or gender identity or expression.
American Civil Liberties Union’s LGBT Project Director James Esseks called the decision ‘a big step forward’ in the fight for basic civil rights protections for lesbian, gay, and bisexual people.
‘Lesbian, gay, and bisexual people all across the country now have a place to turn if an employer fires them because of their sexual orientation,’ Esseks said in a statement.
‘This is a significant development because protections for gay and transgender people are almost nonexistent in federal law, and 28 states also lack state-level protections.’
But this does not mean there are plans to abandon the effort to get the Employment Non-Discrimination Act passed. ENDA has languished in the US C0ngress for decades. The bill’s failure to pass in Congress has some advocates believing the only route is for President Barack Obama to sign an executive order.
‘Employers as well as employees deserve the clarity that comes with express federal and state protections that everyone understands,’ Esseks stated. ‘That’s why we’ll continue to work for express and comprehensive protections. The EEOC ruling is a monumental step forward and provides important protections for millions of Americans, and that’s something to celebrate.”
Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin called the EEOC’s decision ‘historic’ but agreed that it isn’t enough.
‘While an important step, it also highlights the need for a comprehensive federal law permanently and clearly banning LGBT discrimination beyond employment to all areas of American life,’ Griffin stated. ‘Such a law would send a clear and permanent signal that discrimination against LGBT people will not be tolerated under any circumstances in this country, and we remain fully committed to making that happen.’
EEOC rulings are not binding on federal courts but are considered to be persuasive, according to HRC.
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Greg Hernandez
WATCH: Electro-Pop Band Priory Celebrates LGBT Lives in 'Put Em Up'
NYPD Officer Under Investigation, Accused Of Calling Woman A 'F**king Dyke' Before Assaulting Her
NYPD Officer Under Investigation, Accused Of Calling Woman A 'F**king Dyke' Before Assaulting Her
An NYPD officer is under investigation for a possible hate crime after a Brooklyn woman accused him of assaulting her and calling her homophobic slurs, a spokeswoman for the Brooklyn district attorney’s office told The Huffington Post Thursday.
Stephanie Dorceant, 29, was arrested in the early morning hours of July 11 in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn after allegedly assaulting NYPD Officer Salvator Aquino. She’s facing felony charges of assault as well as charges for menacing, resisting arrest and harassment.
But according to Dorceant, it was Aquino who attacked her. Through her attorneys, she supplied the following statement Thursday:
On July 11th I was in Brooklyn, where I live and work, heading from a concert with my girlfriend when, out of nowhere a large man bumped me from behind. I asked him if he was ok. He then barked at me, and I will quote: “mind your own business you fucking dyke.”
Hen then attacked me, punched me in the face a number of times, choked me and called me several more anti-gay slurs. When he had his hands around my neck I truly thought I was going to die. I could not breathe. The only way I could get him to stop attacking me and my girlfriend was to bite him.
When other police officers showed up I thought we were saved. That was not the case. It turned out that this man was an off-duty police officer. Instead of helping me and my girlfriend and arresting our attacker, more officers piled on top of me, slamming me onto the pavement and putting their knees on my neck, shoulders, and back. They then put us both into handcuffs and threw us into a holding cell in the precinct. After being processed at the precinct I was taken to the hospital, and then to central bookings.
At my arraignment, they said that I had assaulted the cop and that I had used racial slurs. Even though I have no record, and their story was a complete lie, bail was set and I ended up at Riker’s Island.
My attacker has still not been charged or arrested.
Even though I am well aware of the many stories about police brutality, especially against blacks, Hispanics, and the LGBT community, I never really thought that this could happen to me. I want to share my story and say that police brutality is a real thing. Hate crimes are a real thing. Both of these things happened to me. Enough is enough.
The criminal complaint against Dorceant — which is embedded below — alleges that Aquino saw Dorceant and her girlfriend, Nandi Allman, “arguing” as he was walking to his personal car that had “a police parking plaque displayed on the dashboard and in area marked for police vehicles only.” When Dorceant and Aquino bumped into each other, the complaint alleges, Dorceant attacked Aquino and “punched him in the face.” When he tried to arrest Dorceant she resisted and “proceeded to bite [Aquino] repeatedly about the arms, chest, finger, and torso, breaking [Aquino’s] skin.”
At a press conference Thursday, Dorceant said the criminal complaint was nothing but lies as she held Allman’s hand and occasionally choked back tears. The couple weren’t arguing on Saturday, she said, but were “talking and laughing” coming back from a performance at the AfroPunk Battle of the Bands in Brooklyn.
When Allman saw Aquino throw her girlfriend’s head to the ground she thought Dorceant was “going to die,” Allman said.
Both women are small and would have posed no threat to the officer, said Dorceant’s lawyer, Benjamin Zeman.
A photo posted by @letsgomathias on Jul 16, 2015 at 3:29pm PDT
What’s more, during the altercation with Aquino, “not at one point did he mention he was a cop,” Dorceant said. “I didn’t see a badge, gun, anything,” she said.
(Dorceant’s lawyers said the Brooklyn district attorney’s office has since confirmed that Aquino was off duty at the time of the incident.)
Aquino identified himself as a police officer just before a group of uniformed officers arrived on the scene, Dorceant said. He then handcuffed her and her girlfriend. Dorceant was taken to the 63rd precinct and then to the hospital. Doctors told her she had muscle bruising, cuts, scrapes, head trauma and an eye injury, which Dorceant said she received from being thrown to the ground. She was then taken to Brooklyn Central Booking.
During the arraignment in court Saturday, according to Dorceant, prosecutors read aloud a statement from Aquino saying he was concerned he “might have HIV” from her bites. (She has since taken an HIV test; the results were negative, she said Thursday.)
After the arraignment, Dorceant spent an entire day in jail on Rikers Island before Allman was able to pay the $1,000 bail. She was released on Monday, having been detained for over two days.
“They never gave me my phone call that I was promised,” Dorceant said. “I didn’t know what time it was. I barely knew what day it was. I was stuck into a room with 50 other girls. It was honestly like living in a concentration camp. I would never wish that on my worst enemy.”
The whole ordeal was “like a nightmare,” she said.
The NYPD’s internal affairs department said it has launched an investigation into the incident to determine if any disciplinary action is warranted.
The Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association — the union that represents New York City’s police officers — didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
On Thursday a judge ruled that prosecutors have until January to convene a grand jury and indict Dorceant. If they don’t, the charges against her will be dismissed.
Benjamin Moore, another attorney for Dorceant, said he is “confident” the charges against her will be dropped before then.
Dorceant and Allman believe Aquino should “absolutely” be charged with a hate crime. They plan to bring civil charges somewhere down the line, they said.
Separately, the civil rights bureau of the Brooklyn district attorney’s office is investigating the incident as a possible hate crime and interviewed Dorceant on Saturday, a spokeswoman said.
In the meantime, a friend of the couple’s has started a crowdfunding page to pay for Dorceant’s legal fees. As of Thursday evening, the campaign has raised more than $1,700 towards the $8,000 goal.
Criminal Complaint Against Stephanie d Orce Ant
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Show featuring anti-LGBTI Duggar family officially canceled because of molestation scandal
Show featuring anti-LGBTI Duggar family officially canceled because of molestation scandal
It’s official: 19 Kids and Counting has been canceled by the TLC network.
The network said in a statement Thursday that the show will not return to the air. It was yanked in May after one of the 19 admitted to sexually abusing five young girls, including some of his sisters, when he was a teenager.
Josh Duggar is former executive director of the lobbying arm of the anti-gay Family Research Council. He is at the center of the scandal that also led to his resigning from his job at FRC which advocates and lobbies for socially conservative policies and opposes and lobbies against LGBTI rights such as same-sex marriage and adoption.
Duggar, 27, is one of the 19 children of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar and a married father of three himself. He has admitted to episodes of sexual abuse when he was a teenager for which he is ‘extremely sorry and deeply regret.’
‘The recent attention around the Duggars has sparked a critical and important conversation about child protection,’ the network stated.
TLC said it has consulted with victims’ rights and advocacy organizations RAINN and Darkness to Light with whom they are partnering with along with the Duggar family on a one-hour documentary that will include Josh Duggar’s sisters Jill and Jessa and other survivors and families that have been affected by abuse.
The documentary will air later this summer.
The parents have been accused of hypocrisy after previously comparing transgender people to child molesters while covering up their son Josh’s abuse.
Michelle Duggar has also defended the robocall she recorded against Fayetteville’s anti-discrimination ordinance, which she claimed would let ‘males with past child predator convictions that claim they are female’ into women’s restrooms.
When asked how she could make the comparison knowing what she did about her son, she replied: ‘I think that protecting young girls and not allowing young men and men in general to go into a girls’ locker room is just common sense.’
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Greg Hernandez
HRC Hails Historic Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Ruling on Employment Discrimination
HRC Hails Historic Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Ruling on Employment Discrimination
Today, HRC praised the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for its ruling affirming that it considers employment discrimination based on sexual orientation to be prohibited under the sex discrimination provisions of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
HRC.org
Creepy Actor/Director Peter Berg Has Dismal Thoughts On Caitlyn Jenner That We’ll Repost To Show What A Dick He Is
Creepy Actor/Director Peter Berg Has Dismal Thoughts On Caitlyn Jenner That We’ll Repost To Show What A Dick He Is
Anyone who’s ever stood within a five-foot radius of actor/director Peter Berg is sure to experience that head-swimmy, hair-standing-on-end sensation you get when you’re standing too close to a certified Creepo. (Even by Hollywood’s standards, he’s one eerie dude.)
Not like you have to take our word for it. Earlier today, the developer of Friday Night Lights attempted to trip up Caitlyn Jenner in the middle of her victory lap, on the heels of last night’s historic acceptance speech at the ESPYs.
As Defamer’s Rich Juzwiak reports, Peter Berg posted an atrocious meme on Instagram that juxtaposes Jenner alongside a picture of double amputee war veteran Gregory D. Gadson, with the caption: “One man traded 2 legs for the freedom of the other to trade 2 balls for 2 boobs. Guess which man made the cover of Vanity Fair, was praised for his courage by President Obama and is to be honored with the ‘Arthur Ashe Courage Award’ by ESPN?”
The sentiment immediately calls to mind Jenner’s speech from last night: “If you want to call me names, I can take it.”
Needless to say, plenty of people were quick to voice their outrage at Berg’s idiot sentiment:
You think that 40% trans suicide rate is nuts until you put someone trans on national TV for ten minutes and see how people react.
— Craig Jenkins (@CraigSJ) July 16, 2015
Really, the whole thing is so grotesque, we worry we’re making matters worse by calling attention to it. Is it better to point out the offensive, mediocre thinking patterns of mediocre Hollywood talents –– like that time Adam Baldwin got very, berry angry at SCOTUS –– or wiser to ignore these negative-attention queens until they go away?
h/t: Defamer
Derek de Koff
Federal Commission Rules Civil Rights Act of 1964 Covers Sexual Orientation Discrimination
Federal Commission Rules Civil Rights Act of 1964 Covers Sexual Orientation Discrimination
A groundbreaking ruling by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission regarding federal employees’ claims and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 could provide nationwide protections for gay, lesbian, and bisexual workers across the country.
Buzzfeed reports:
The independent commission addressed the question of whether the ban on sex discrimination in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 bars anti-LGB discrimination in a complaint brought by a Florida-based air traffic control specialist against Transportation Sec. Anthony Foxx.
The ruling — issued without objection from any members of the five-person commission — applies to federal employees’ claims directly, but it also applies to the entire EEOC, which includes its offices across the nation that take and investigate claims of discrimination in private employment. And, while only the Supreme Court could issue a definitive ruling on the interpretation, EEOC decisions are given significant deference by federal courts.
The ruling states that “sexual orientation is inherently a ‘sex-based consideration.’” In 2012, the EEOC ruled that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects transgender individuals from discrimination.
Stay tuned for reactions and analysis…
The post Federal Commission Rules Civil Rights Act of 1964 Covers Sexual Orientation Discrimination appeared first on Towleroad.
Kyler Geoffroy
Federal Commission Rules Civil Rights Act of 1964 Covers Sexual Orientation Discrimination
Federal 'License to Discriminate' Bill Gains Support — and Opposition
Federal 'License to Discriminate' Bill Gains Support — and Opposition
The measure would allow individuals, businesses, and nonprofits to discriminate against same-sex couples without federal penalties.
Trudy Ring
www.advocate.com/politics/2015/07/16/federal-license-discriminate-bill-gains-support-and-opposition
Friday Night Lights producer Peter Berg blasts Caitlyn Jenner as someone ‘who traded 2 balls for 2 boobs’
Friday Night Lights producer Peter Berg blasts Caitlyn Jenner as someone ‘who traded 2 balls for 2 boobs’
While Caitlyn Jenner has been getting much acclaim for her acceptance speech while accepting the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the ESPY Awards on Wednesday (15 July), director-producer Peter Berg pitched a social media rant.
Berg, producer of the television series Friday Night Lights and director of the films Battleship, Lone Survivor and Hancock, posted a photo of Jenner on his Instagram account alongside that of Army veteran Gregory Gadson who played a role in Berg’s Battleship and who had lost both of his legs in combat.
Berg wrote as a caption: ‘One man traded 2 legs for the freedom of the other to trade 2 balls for 2 boobs. Guess which Man made the cover of Vanity Fair, was praised for his courage by President Obama and is to be honored with the ‘Arthur Ashe Courage Award’ by ESPN?’
While the photo received more than 3,000 likes, many others took Berg to task.
Wrote one woman: ‘Considering transgendered people are being killed for being themselves, I think it’s pretty brave for an American, masculine sports hero to be a role model. Some trans kids want to kill themselves because they are bullied, looked down upon and shunned, even by their own family. Shame on you.’
Berg created the opening animation sequence for ESPN’s Monday Night Football in 2013 and has a professional relationship with Friday Night Lights book author Buzz Bissinger who interviewed Jenner and wrote the cover story for Vanity Fair’s July issue.
Jenner addressed her critics in her acceptance speech.
‘If you want to call me names, doubt my intention, the reality is, I can take it,’ she said. ‘But for thousands of kids out there coming to term with who they are, they shouldn’t have to take it … So for the people out there wondering what this is all about, whether it’s about courage or controversy or publicity, I’ll tell you what it’s all about: It’s about what happens from here. It’s not about one person, it’s about thousands of people. It’s not just about me. It’s about all of us accepting one another. We’re all different and that’s not a bad thing — it’s a good thing.’
UPDATE: Following considerable backlash, Berg took to Instagram again on Thursday (16 July) and struck a different tone: ‘I have the utmost respect for Caitlyn Jenner and I am a strong supporter of equality and the rights of trans people everywhere. I also believe that we don’t give enough attention to our courageous returning war veterans, many of whom have sacrificed their bodies and mental health for our country and our principals- principals that include the freedom to live the life you want to live without persecution or abuse.’
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Greg Hernandez
