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Tampa Recognized for Gay Rights Protections; Lawmakers and Advocates Hope to Further the Cause

admin — Sat, 15 Feb 2014 00:24:30 +0000

A human rights group recently recognized Tampa as top in the state in its support of the LGBT community. Meanwhile, gay rights advocates hope to advance their cause statewide, and state lawmakers have a slate of civil rights bills planned for the 2014 legislative session.

Human Rights Campaign, an LGBT rights advocacy group, recently released its annual Municipal Equality Index. The Index serves as an evaluation of protections, benefits and services offered to LGBT people at the municipal level. Tampa received a score of 89 out of a possible 100 — a huge jump up from its score of 66 in last year’s survey.

Tampa has been recognized for its non-discrimination policies in housing and employment for the past two years. But until recently, Tampa’s score suffered for its lack of protections for transgender people and for its lack of requirements for municipal contractors to offer employment protection to LGBT individuals.

Another advocacy group, Equality Florida, recently issued a press release calling Florida “the new frontline” for gay rights in the South. The release recognized the quickly changing political landscape in the state, and it outlined three changes the group hopes to help achieve in Florida within the next three years.

The first is gay marriage. In 2008, Florida voters approved a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages, civil unions and domestic partnerships. Equality Florida says it is preparing to file a lawsuit to overturn the ban. The second goal strives for LGBT protections in employment, housing and public accommodations. In 30 states, U.S. law allows employers to fire employees for their sexual orientation. Third, the group plans to boost support to local initiatives to protect gay rights at the city and county level.

Advocacy groups will need some help from state lawmakers if they want to accomplish all their goals. Fortunately for them, Democrats in the Florida Senate are already advancing a number of civil rights bills for 2014, including protections against discrimination in housing, employment and banking.
Another measure would establish a statewide domestic partnership registry, similar to those already in place in Tampa, Clearwater and St. Petersburg. These registries, available to both same-sex and opposite-sex unmarried couples, ensure a host of legal protections that are automatically granted to married couples. These protections include the authority to make decisions regarding child care, health care and after-death care.

Equal protection for all Floridians under the law has not yet been achieved, but the work of lawmakers and advocacy groups has brought the goal much closer.

Contact a Tampa divorce lawyer and Brandon child custody attorney with the Osenton Law Offices, P.A. To learn more, visit http://www.brandonlawoffice.com/

The post Tampa Recognized for Gay Rights Protections; Lawmakers and Advocates Hope to Further the Cause first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.

How Nursing Facilities Can Be Welcoming to LGBT Residents

admin — Mon, 19 Aug 2013 14:59:48 +0000

Nursing homes have always had lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender residents, but they have not always felt comfortable identifying as such, for fear of how staff or other residents might react. It is important for nursing facilities to be open…

The LGBT Amendment

admin — Thu, 09 May 2013 21:43:00 +0000

Sen Patrick Leahy has introduced an amendment on the Senate immigration bill introduced by the gang of 8, to allow LGBT couples in long term relationships to get immigration benefits. And even though I am a liberal, and whole heatedly support gay rights, I think this amendment should be considered if and only if the Supreme Court leaves DOMA intact.

Gay couples are allowed to marry in many states. However, unlike heterosexual couples, who can get immigration benefits if their spouse is a Citizen of United States, gay couple cannot get the same benefit. And that is because DOMA, a federal law defines marriage as an union between a man and a woman. This law is up in front of the Supreme Court, has no support of the Obama administration or the majority of American people, and is a discriminatory law with no purpose. If the Supreme Court does not strike down DOMA, then the Roberts Court will go down in history as a bigoted court, out of touch with the reality of the times.

Being an optimist, I would like to think that the majority of Justices will at least think of their legacy and strike down DOMA. If that happens, gays can already marry in 11 states. Under full faith and credit, other states have to recognize and give Immigration benefits to same sex married couples.

The amendment says benefits to couples “in long term relationships.” Why would same sex couples have to prove “long term” when hetero couples dont? Why should the law recognize a Kardashian type Vegas marriage and not a similar same sex marriage?

Being LGBT is an immutable characteristic, same as skin color, or hetero orientation. So why should the law create a special class for LGBT people? We need EQUALITY, not special protection. Hetero and same sex couples should be looked upon as same, couples who will build their lives together. And because this is a subjective standard, and the CIS officers will look at this with their own biases, the law should create standards for determining whether the relationship is real or not. The same standard for EVERYONE, regardless of their sexual orientation.

No other area of law is rife with discriminatory history as Immigration Law. Lets end this, end country quotas, end special protections for some.

Contact Houston Immigration Lawyer , or Houston Immigration Attorney Annie Banerjee, for more information

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