Sunday, January 3, Missouri state Senator Jolie Justus led a forum at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church about the state of the LGBT community in 2009. She and two other panelists from Four Freedoms Democratic Club and PROMO talked about progress in federal, state, and local legislation in 2009 as well as efforts that will continue into 2010 and beyond. Following is a brief summary of their report:
Federal
• Five states now have marriage equality: Iowa (by court decision rather than legislation), Vermont, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. Maine’s legislature passed it but the populace voted it down.
• New York banned LGBT discrimination for state employees.
• Houston, the fourth largest city in the United States, elected an openly lesbian mayor.
• Georgia elected Simone Bell as the first openly lesbian African-American state legislator in the United States.
• President Obama appointed Amanda Simpson as Senior Technical Advisor to the Department of Commerce, the first transgender person appointed to a federal position.
• Congress passed the Matthew Shepard Act which expands the 1969 United States hate-crime law to include crimes motivated against a victim’s actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability.
State (Missouri)
• A bill that would expand the Safe Schools Act to address bullying based on gender identity and expression received its first hearing and has more supporters than ever before.
• The Missouri Non-Discrimination Act (MONA), a law that will update the human rights statute to include sexual orientation and gender identity/expression and address discrimination in housing, employment, and public accommodations, has more supporters than ever before and is coming to the floor for a vote.
Local (Kansas City, Missouri)
• PROMO, Missouri’s statewide organization that advocates for LGBT rights, is working with the KC, MO school district to include domestic partners in benefits.
• The police department briefly considered dropping domestic partner benefits as a budget cutting measure, but thanks in part to public outcry, they did not.
Q&A
1. What are we doing about the “don’t ask don’t tell,” policy?
Since enacted, 13,500 people have been discharged because they were openly gay. This has cost the military $360 million. Because the policy is law, it will require legislation to turn it around. The Military Readiness Enhancement Act would address this.
2. I heard something about queering the census?
The US census will not count the number of openly gay citizens. To be symbolically counted, go to www.thetaskforce.org and request a sticker that you can place on your census form.
3. What is being done about HIV restrictive laws?
Unfortunately, not much. Local HIV groups are too strapped for funds to lobby for change. On a related note, since Missouri passed its abstinence only sex-ed law a few years ago, no organization or medical facility that offers abortions or refers women to where they can receive abortions is allowed to teach sex-ed in the schools or provide schools with teaching materials. This effectively bans not only Planned Parenthood, but also all hospitals and doctors from helping schools with sex education. Sex education in Missouri is now less progressive and informative than it was in the 1950s.
4. What can I do to support LGBT legislation and policy?
Contact your state and local legislators. You can find out who your state legislators are by going to www.house.mo.gov and www.senate.mo.gov Contact PROMO for talking points and even drafts of letters you can send. The most effective means of communication, though, is a face-to-face meeting with your lawmakers.
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