March 2009 Newsletter

Equality Legislation Across the Country

Since our country’s inception, the struggle to make the phrase “all men are created equal” a reality for every American has been ever-present. Today, unmarried couples, same-sex couples, and people who fall outside the “traditional” definition of marriage are finding that struggle to be particularly difficult. In the 2008 election year alone, three states – California, Arizona, and Florida – were successful in passing discriminatory laws to ban same-sex unions, unmarried adoption rights, and the provision of benefits for unmarried couples.

Many of our YEOs, however, are working to pass legislation that will help to put an end to this cycle of discrimination. Across the country, young elected officials are endeavoring to bring about laws and policies that bring about fairness and equality for all people, of all walks of life.

State Representative David Zuckerman is co-sponsoring legislation that will legalize gay marriage in Vermont, a widely-supported bill. Speaking about his conservative colleagues, Rep. Zuckerman said, “Some of them don't want to offend their constituents by signing onto the bill, but they recognize this is a civil rights issue and that gay and lesbian Vermonters are their constituents, too." Read more.

State Representative Mark Ferrandino is sponsoring legislation that will consolidate rights already in state law, such as estate planning tools and legal benefits, and extend them to unmarried couples. Any two unmarried people can now designate each other as legal beneficiaries and decision-makers in times of crisis. Additionally, he is introducing legislation that will extend health care benefits to same-sex partners of Colorado state workers. Read more.

Despite new and more conservative leadership in the Texas legislature, State Representative Marc Veasey and State Representative Mike Villareal recently introduced two key equality bills. Rep. Veasey’s bill would establish a commission to study the effectiveness of the James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Act, and Rep. Villareal’s nondiscrimination bill would prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing, public accommodations, and other areas. Read more.

State Senator Mee Moua is a co-sponsor of the Marriage and Family Protection Act, introduced earlier this year in the Minnesota State Senate. The bill makes statutes regarding marriage gender neutral and open the door for same-sex marriage. Read more.

A civil unions bill drafted by the Family Equality Coalition – Hawaii was introduced in the Hawaii State Legislature by State Representative Blake Oshiro in January, and passed the state’s House of Representatives in February by a vote of 33-17. Rep. Oshiro also wants to create a task force or commission to review whether civil unions brought equality to other states and to clear up any misunderstanding of the process. Read more. Additional info also here.

State Representative Carl Sciortino recently introduced legislation that will make the protection of transgender people “explicit, uniform, and visible to the general public.”  The bill, which has 21 Senate and 83 House co-sponsors of the transgender rights bill, will also add gender identity and expression to the state's non-discrimination statute and will amend existing hate crime laws to explicitly protect people targeted for violence and harassment. Additionally, he has advocated for a new policy on gender markers that will be instated by the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles. The new policy allows a person to change their gender marker on their driver’s license or state ID by filling out an updated application along with a Gender Designation Change form. The form must be signed by the applicant and a medical provider "attesting to the gender that individual considers himself or herself to be." Read more.

City Councilman Ezra Temko has spearheaded efforts to extend health-care benefits to same-sex partners of Newark, Del. city workers, as well as other LGBT legislation, including a bill to ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in the City Council. Read more. Additional info also here.

State Representative Kyrsten Sinema talks LGBT, Immigration, and Change with the Progressive States Network

State Representative Kyrsten Sinema was recently interviewed by Austin Guest from the Progressive States Network (PSN). She discussed her work on immigration and LGBT rights, as well as her work to bring about a more inclusive and optimistic progressive movement. Additionally, they discussed the need for the multi-state collaboration to bring about the promised change of the Obama presidency.

Click here to see the full interview.

"Why I ran for office"
By School Board Member Jeremiah Grace, NJ

Upon returning home from college, full of knowledge and ready to take on the world, I noticed that my local school district lacked community input on the decisions made for our children. Consequently, this resulted in lower test scores for students, an increase in violence, and dismal parental involvement.

My experience campaigning for others led to my decision to build a grassroots movement fighting for a thorough and efficient education system for all of the children in my district.

Read More

YEO Special Feature-
Creating an Inclusive Community
By City Councilman Ezra Temko (Newark, DE)

One of the bedrocks of progressive values is that our government should work for everyone.  Our movement is rooted in a commitment to community, and our communities are enhanced by and bridged across people of many walks of life.  I have been involved in LGBTQ work in the past, such as in college where I worked to expand all-gender housing options.  However, this past year equality issues have become much more personal to me and I have been working on the city council to make sure that Newark, Del. is an inclusive community.

I met and fell in love with my boyfriend Drew this past summer, and quickly realized the privilege I had always taken for granted in relationship recognition and the associated benefits.  It made me feel a great sense of urgency regarding equal rights issues.  Since, I have become much more involved in equal rights work in Delaware.  It also brought back to the forefront some discussions I had been having about our city's policies.

I offered four motions to Newark's City Council.  The first was to add "gender identity and expression" to our city's personnel policy in its section on protected classes for nondiscrimination.  Sexual orientation had already been added as a result of former councilman and YEO Kevin Vonck.

FLLA Now Accepting Applications!

Do you know someone interested in…

• Developing the skills base needed for field strategy, campaign management, communications, and fundraising?
• Learning campaign and leadership skills from successful elected officials and proven campaign experts?
• Organizing and serving your community with your progressive values?
• Becoming a public servant to address the ills of your community?
• Running campaigns for progressive candidates?

The Front Line Leaders Academy (FLLA) might be the leadership program for them!

Please recommend this program to all the young, progressive, community-driven youth that you know. FLLA accepts applicants between ages 18 and 35. Click here to find out more!

If you have questions, feel free to email Raquel Simon-Petley at rsimon@pfaw.org.

An Invitation to YEOs:
Join ACORN to speak out against human and civil rights abuses

The YEO Network invites you to join in a media conference call with the Rev. Al Sharpton and ACORN CEO and Chief Organizer Bertha Lewis to speak out against the human and civil rights abuses committed by Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

Sheriff Arpaio has used his authority, under an agreement with the Department of Homeland security directed at combating illegal immigration, to engage in racial profiling, bringing back chain gangs, and disenfranchisement of the Latino Community.

This conference call aims to bring greater awareness to the campaign to end the assault on communities of color in Arizona.

Please join in!

Tuesday, April 7, 2009 – 11:30 AM EDT

Please confirm your attendance by logging in at: http://tinyurl.com/cy846n or by contacting Charles Jackson at 504-994-4669. You will receive call-in information and a reminder via email and text message.

Come join others like you who are young, progressive, and elected. The YEO National Convenings are the largest gatherings of young progressive elected leaders in the country- and this year’s is no exception!

Innovative- You will share best practices, explore innovative policy initiatives and network with more than 150 fellow young elected officials. And unlike other policy conferences, YEOs will be able to develop and enhance critical skills specifically designed for young electeds.

Unique- Created for young electeds by young electeds – this is a one-of-a-kind event that you should not miss!

Opportunity- Because this was created by YEOs, we understand your burdens and have worked to provide an affordable experience. While YEOs arrange for their own travel, all meals, accommodations and conference fees are provided for YEO Network members. For YEOs that can’t afford travel, scholarships are available.

Soon- The 2009 National Convening will take place June 12-14 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Are you ready to confirm your attendance? Please take a moment to complete the convening registration form found at our web site. If you have any further questions, please contact us at rsimon@pfaw.org.