#AM_Equality Tipsheet: February 8, 2018

BREAKING — REUTERS DETAILS HRC PLAN TO MOBILIZE PRO-EQUALITY VOTERS IN 2018 ELECTION AND BEYOND: Correspondent Daniel Trotta (@danieljtrotta) reports on the Trump-Pence attacks on LGBTQ rights and how HRC is identifying and mobilizing Equality Voters across the U.S. “This is a voting bloc that has to be respected, and sought after, and feared,” said HRC President Chad Griffin (@ChadHGriffin). The millions of voters in HRC’s database, Trotta reports, “can be deployed to get out the vote for candidates who support LGBT rights.” He adds: “The database will enable HRC to target voters in any particular district, whether for or against a candidate or ballot initiative, or simply to mobilize people for a debate before a local school board.” HRC’s deep organizational commitment to the elections is part of its historic effort to pull the emergency brake on the Trump-Pence administration’s hate-fueled agenda. More from Reuters.

REALLY, MIKE PENCE? YOU’RE “FOR” LGBTQ PEOPLE LIKE OLYMPIAN ADAM RIPPON? Pence has made a career of attacking members of our community, from his dangerous License to Discriminate to his constant opposition to marriage equality.

FACT: As a member of Congress, Mike Pence supported a Constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage and referred to gay couples as a signal of “societal collapse”

FACT: Mike Pence signed into law a disastrous License to Discriminate in Indiana. He was willing to tank his state’s economy if it meant allowing people to refuse services to LGBTQ people.

FACT:  Although he failed, Mike Pence tried to ram through anti-marriage equality legislation during his time in the House, and worked to block same-sex marriage as governor.

FACT: Pence supported diverting critical HIV & AIDS funding to pay for dangerous so-called “conversion therapy” measures.

FACT: Adam Rippon is right — Pence has fought against LGBTQ people and our well-being nearly every day of his career. He is not “for” us.

FACT CHECK: @VP Pence is not “for” any LGBTQ American. He has made a career of attacking members of our community, from his dangerous #LicenseToDiscriminate to his constant opposition to marriage equality. t.co/rBXFHveg7A

— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) February 8, 2018

BERMUDA GOVERNOR SIGNS BILL REPEALING MARRIAGE EQUALITY: Under the guise of passing domestic partnership benefits, the new law strips loving same-sex Bermudan couples of the right to marry and jeopardizes Bermuda’s international reputation and economy. “Governor John Rankin and the Bermuda Parliament have shamefully made Bermuda the first national territory in the world to repeal marriage equality,” said Ty Cobb (@TyWesleyCobb), director of HRC Global. “Despite this deplorable action, the fight for marriage equality in Bermuda will continue until the day every Bermudian is afforded the right to marry the person they love.” More from HRC and The Associated Press.

THROWBACK THURSDAY: Tomorrow is Alice Walker’s 74th birthday. An advocate, activist, poet and novelist, Walker has spent her life giving voice to the richness of the emotions and experiences of the Black community, amplifying shared struggle through powerful writing, including her novel The Color Purple.

HRC RELEASES POWERFUL VIDEO FEATURING DREAMER: Mo is part of the immigrant youth-led United We Dream network working to change hearts and minds for the passage of a common-sense, bipartisan DREAM Act. There are 75,000 LGBTQ Dreamers in the United States. Among those who would be affected by DACA’s rollback are 36,000 LGBTQ recipients. Watch here.

“The United States is my home. I live here, my entire life is here.” ����
Text WITH DREAMERS to 30644 to stand with Mo, @UNITEDWEDREAM and other #LGBTQ #DREAMers at risk of deportation if Congress fails to act. pic.twitter.com/ViPJ6goIDL

— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) February 7, 2018

NEW JERSEY JOINS AMICUS BRIEF OPPOSING TRUMP’S TRANSGENDER MILITARY BAN: More from Politico.

CALL YOUR STATE LAWMAKERS — State bills to keep on your radar!

• Today, the Virginia House General Laws Committee votes on two important LGBTQ housing and employment non-discrimination measures, which passed the Virginia Senate last month with strong bipartisan support. Said HRC National Field Director Marty Rouse: “HRC is working to mobilize our tens of thousands of members and supporters across the Commonwealth to speak out about the importance of these long overdue protections with strong bipartisan support.”

GLOBAL EQUALITY NEWS

HAITIAN LGBTQ ADVOCATES SAY DISCRIMINATION HAS WORSENED SINCE 2010 EARTHQUAKE: More from PRI.

TURKISH LGBTQ ADVOCATE HOLDS HUNGER STRIKE TO BRING ATTENTION TO GOVERNMENT’S DISCRIMINATION AGAINST LGBTQ INMATES: More from Turkey Purge.

READING RAINBOW – Bookmark now to read on your lunch break!

Advocate highlights a powerful podcast sharing the story of Jen, a transgender woman; Domino reports that Trulia will allow renters and home buyers to determine which communities have LGBTQ-inclusive comprehensive protections; Billboard interviews openly bisexual Fifth Harmony member Lauren Jauregui about her message to struggling LGBTQ people; Voice of America reports that Kamilla Carvalho will be the first openly transgender woman to perform as a star dancer at Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival parade; Human Rights Watch previews potential developments in Latin American LGBTQ equality

www.hrc.org/blog/am-equality-tipsheet-february-8-2018?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Social Media Companies Must Step Up To The Plate And Help Us Tackle Mental Health Issues Online
Last month, Apple’s CEO Tim Cook spoke candidly about his unease at what he called the “overuse” of technology, adding that he didn’t want his young nephew to use social media networks.

It felt like a symbolic moment, as one of the titans of the technology world hinted at personal reservations about social media when it came to his own family.

As Health Secretary, I’ve been vocal over the past 12 months about the need for social media companies to step up to the plate and help us tackle the mental health issues that research suggests is associated with to excessive social media use.

And that’s not because I am a Neanderthal but because fundamentally I believe in technology – provided it is harnessed appropriately. The company I founded before going into politics was in technology – we produced a number of websites to help younger people choose the right university or college course. I’ve also been a passionate champion for how technology can improve our health system too, including mental health provision itself.

But I do worry about unintended consequences. I worry for my own children, and I worry that as a nation we are sleepwalking into a situation where a whole generation of young people are spending huge chunks of their childhood online rather than investing in the deep and enduring face-to-face relationships that help them grow up as well-rounded individuals.

When you have people like Sean Parker, Facebook’s founding president, effectively admitting that the social media industry’s business model is built on psychological addiction, I think it’s right to demand these firms to exercise greater restraint and responsibility in how they design, market and manage their services.

The latest Ofcom research suggest that half of children aged 11 and 12 now have a social media profile, despite many platforms’ minimum age being 13, and the average 12-15 year old spends over 20 hours every week online. These are two areas that could be addressed by technology providers stepping up and accepting responsibility.

That’s why in the autumn, I met with the leading technology providers, including Facebook, Snapchat, Apple and Google, and set them a simple challenge: work with us and help us find solutions to these issues facing young people.

It was a good, productive conversation and they agreed to come back in March with some hard proposals, which I look forward to seeing – but the clock is ticking, just as the public’s attitude towards the ethical conduct of social media firms is hardening.

Without question there is more that Government can do to improve support for children and young – and our Children and Young People’s Green Paper sets out a comprehensive set of measures, including the £5million I’ve announced today to extend mental health training in primary schools.

We particularly need to make sure there is greater availability of counselling services in our schools, better support for parents and faster access to specialist NHS therapies and treatments where necessary. At least 70,000 additional children and young people each year are expected to receive evidence-based treatment by 2020/21.

So here’s the opportunity: if the future of technology is so promising, why don’t Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram and Google make sure they are the solution, not the problem?

That means tackling underage use with proper age verification; nudging people who are online too long; sharing data so we can tackle cyber-bullying and many other small measures that – taken together – will have a dramatic impact in making children safer online.

We read a lot of hot air on social media every day, but this time it is action not words we need.

Jeremy Hunt is the Secretary of State for Health and Conservative MP for South West Surrey

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/mental-health_uk_5a7c329ae4b08dfc93006dc8

MPs Attack ‘Shameful’ Boris Johnson For Choosing Not To Stop Bermuda Banning Same-Sex Marriage
Boris Johnson has been accused of acting in a “shameful” way after he decided to allow Bermuda to reverse the right of gay couples to marry.

Bermuda is a British overseas territory and the foreign secretary had the power to block the legislation.

However Foreign Office minister Harriet Baldwin told the Commons on Thursday that while the government was “disappointed” with Bermuda’s decision, Johnson had decided it “wouldn’t be appropriate” to intervene.

Baldwin said while Johnson could overrule Bermuda in “exceptional circumstances” – this test had not been met.

“It was his judgement that in engaging with British overseas territories we have to respect they are separate self-governing jurisdictions with their own democratically elected representatives that have the right self-government,” she added.

Helen Goodman, Labour’s shadow Foreign Office minister, said the decision “turns same-sex couples into second class citizens”.

“For that to happen anyone in the world would be shameful. For it to happen in a British territory, for the legislation signed by a British governor and permitted by a British foreign secretary makes us complicit in something which this House has repeatedly voted against,” she said.

Backbench MPs lined up to criticise Johnson for failing to act. Labour backbencher David Lammy said the government was on the “wrong side of human rights”.

“The first slaves we brought to Bermuda in 1620, oppressed, segregated, discriminated against,” he said.

“And that is why leaders like Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu and Barack Obama have not just fought for race rights, but they have fought for rights of lesbian, gay and bisexual people.

“This country has been one of the world  leaders on this subject – so if this is not the issue on which to refuse assent I don’t know which is.”

This is an absolute scandal. The FCO claims to stand for LGBT+ rights, yet in a territory THEY GOVERN they are waving through the repealing of same-sex marriage. This is a breach of human rights, and the Government should reverse their decision immediately. t.co/Hv84eK0jw6

February 8, 2018
Labour’s Chris Bryant told MPs that Russia would in future “laugh” at the British government whenever it criticised Moscow for its track record on LGBT rights.

Lloyd Russell-Moyle, the Labour MP for Brighton Kemptown, said the British government needed to “stand up” for minority rights in Bermuda.

And Lib Dem Jamie Stone said he was “stunned” that Johnson did not think protecting the rights of gay people in Bermuda was an “exceptional case” worthy of his intervention.

The decision represents the first reversal of a trend among Western countries of legalising same-sex marriage.

Under the Domestic Partnership Act 2017, already passed by Bermuda’s House of Assembly and Senate, any Bermudian will be allowed to form domestic partnerships which the government says will offer equal rights.

Walton Brown, Bermuda’s Minister of Home Affairs, whose ruling PLP party proposed the act, said on Wednesday he was pleased with the decision.

“The British government recognises that this is a local government decision,” Brown said, adding that the act struck a compromise by “restating that marriage must be between a male and a female while at the same time recognising and protecting the rights of same-sex couples.”

It follows a referendum in which a majority of voters opposed same-sex marriage.

International human rights groups say the new legislation contradicts Bermuda’s constitution, which guarantees freedom from discrimination.

Same-sex marriage was first legalized in Bermuda in May 2017 after the nation’s Supreme Court ruled in favor of a gay couple who sued for equal marriage rights. Winston Godwin, a Bermudian, and Greg DeRoche, a Canadian, filed the lawsuit after their marriage application was declined by Bermuda’s Registrar-General, Bernews said.

The Supreme Court ruling on marriage equality in May 2017 was celebrated by the small gay community, but it also outraged many on the socially conservative island, including church leaders, and thousands protested outside parliament.

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/boris-johnson-complicit-in-shameful-bermuda-same-sex-marriage-ban_uk_5a7c31bae4b044b38219b23e