The Gay (and not so Gay) World as Seen by Rob
NATIONAL NEWS
NORTH CAROLINA: RISE UP AGAINST AMENDMENT ONE!
381 days
A chorus of voices have arisen over the past few months to warn North Carolinians of the harms of Amendment One. Watch this video, share it, and vote AGAINST Amendment One on Tuesday, May 8th.
BURN: One Year on the Frontlines of the Battle to Save Detroit!
393 days
BURN to Premiere at 2012 Tribeca Film Festival in April! (But we still need your help!)
Defeat Paul Ryan! Elect Rob Zerban to Congress
402 days
Rob Zerban for Congress (Wisconsin District 1)
With the help of Pell Grants and Stafford Loans, Rob attended the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park, New York, a prestigious culinary school where he was trained as a chef and learned restaurant business management.
After several years of direct service and managerial experience, he went on to create two small businesses. He employed 45 people and made sure they had family sustaining wages, excellent benefits, and the best healthcare. He understood that taking care of his employees and never taking for granted their hard work helped his companies thrive.
After selling his last business in 2008, Rob dedicated his life to public service. He volunteered to go door-to-door, educating the public about preserving the wonderful natural resource that is the Great Lakes. He served on the Board of Directors for the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters because part of what makes this nation great is our rich and beautiful land. He also serves as an elected official in Kenosha County as a Board Supervisor.
Rob is a job creator, an innovator, and a pragmatist. He understands that he was able to succeed because government was there for him and his family when he needed it. And now he is committed to protecting and building programs so future generations can continue to achieve and live the American Dream.
Rob speaks about LGBT issues:
I support equal rights for every American, including members of the LGBT community.
I support equal marriage rights for every American.
I support any legislation to end discriminatory behavior including harsher penalties for hate crimes based on sexual orientation.
I believe in our founding principle of equality under the law and will support equal rights for each and every one of my constituents in all aspects of their lives.
I do not believe the government has the right to legislate morality and I support the rights of every individual to make their own personal decisions.
The government cannot pick and choose which of its citizens have rights and should offer the option of marriage, with full and equal rights, to all of its citizens.
I support the free practice of religion. These beliefs are not contradictory; in fact, the separation of church and state is for the benefit of both the church and the state. I support the right of religious institutions to make their own choices and follow their own values. However, citizens that do not belong to the religion should not be forced to live by those values. That choice is up to each individual, and their government must remain neutral.
In many states, LGBT citizens are not being treated equally. They are being discriminated against in the workplace and by their government. Couples cannot visit their loved one in the hospital, and are paying greater taxes because their status is not recognized. I will work to eliminate all discrimination and ensure every religious institution, and every citizen, has the freedom to make their own choices without government picking sides.
for more information: http://www.robzerban.com/home
Minnesota School District Settles Lawsuit Over Gay Bullying
443 days
MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) – Minnesota’s biggest public school district has agreed to settle a federal lawsuit with six current and former students awarding them $270,000 after finding they were subjected to slurs, threats and attacks for their real or perceived sexual orientation as gays or lesbians.
The settlement reached with the students and the U.S. Justice and Education Departments, was approved by the Anoka-Hennepin School District board on Monday and must be approved by a federal judge, officials said.
Under its terms, the students split $270,000 and the district will be subject to federal oversight for five years.
“Harassment by or against students in schools is unacceptable, and not a ‘rite of passage’ to be endured by anyone,” Thomas Perez, assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, said in a statement.
Superintendent Dennis Carlson said the board’s anti-bullying and harassment policy was clear, but the five-year oversight would significantly strengthen its programs. He also said the district had made progress in teacher training and other areas.
“Our gay students deserve to feel safe and be safe — just like everyone else in our public schools,” Carlson said in a statement.
The settlement combined a Justice Department investigation into student harassment launched in November 2010 and the lawsuit filed by the students or former students last year.
The students said they were subjected to years of pervasive bullying. It included near daily anti-gay slurs to reports of being urinated on, stabbed in the neck with pencils, choked or shoved into walls or lockers with little action taken by the district.
The agreement requires the district to retain an expert to review its harassment policies and develop a plan to prevent student-on-student harassment at its middle and high schools. It also requires the district to improve training of faculty and staff and improve records maintenance on allegations.
The district has about 39,000 students across 13 suburbs north of Minneapolis and St. Paul, including six middle schools, five high schools, plus alternative sites.
The district also has agreed to hire or appoint a mental health expert to review its practices in aiding students who are harassed or at risk of depression, anxiety, self-injurious behavior, suicide or other problems.
One student involved in the lawsuit had attempted suicide and the suit said at least four gay or lesbian students had killed themselves from November 2009 to July 2010.
School Board Chairman Tom Heidemann said the monetary settlement was negotiated by the district’s insurer and the district believed its staff had acted appropriately. He said the mediation “likely saved the district millions of dollars and many years of ongoing litigation.”
by David Bailey | Reuters (Editing by Tim Gaynor)
“8″: A Play about the Fight for Marriage Equality
An unconstitutional proposition.
An unprecedented decision.
An all-star cast.
a new play by
DUSTIN LANCE BLACK
Benefit Reading for Marriage Equality
Presented by
American Foundation for Equal Rights,
Broadway Impact &
Presenting Sponsor Bryan Singer
directed by
ROB REINER
Featuring an all-star cast including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Martin Sheen, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jane Lynch, Kevin Bacon and others, “8″ is a play written by Academy Award winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black and directed by acclaimed actor and director Rob Reiner. It is a powerful account of the case filed by the American Federation for Equal Rights (AFER ) in the U.S. District Court in 2010 to overturn Proposition 8 [LINK], a constitutional amendment that eliminated the rights of same-sex couples to marry in the state of California. Framed around the trial’s historic closing arguments in June 2010, 8 provides an intimate look what unfolded when the issue of same-sex marriage was on trial.
Here is the video of the historic live stage reading: