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Pen Points
Letters to Gay Today |
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Pride Lives in Beautiful Toronto
Hi guys! Maybe I have missed something, but it appears in your coverage of Pride Celebrations that you have missed the biggest one in North America!! Toronto, Canada, where 800,000 show up each year for a fantastic parade, and week long celebration. I do think it deserves a mention! G. Shaw Progress in Louisiana Anti-gay forces appeared stunned Wednesday when the Louisiana Senate, while debating a House bill that fine-tunes some aspects of existing sex offender registration laws, suddenly voted to amend a portion of the state's archaic crimes against nature statute.
"At some point we must recognize that government intrusion into our private lives has to stop," Jones said, his voice booming with emotion. "We still have the right to privacy under the Louisiana Constitution." Only Sen. Art Lentini (R-Metairie) spoke in opposition to the amendment, stating that it was an inappropriate addition to the House bill. Jones countered by saying such moves are "made all the time" to ensure the passage of specific legislation. The Senate voted 19-14 for Jones' amendment, and the full Senate voted 23-12 for HB 2047. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Danny Martiny (R-Metairie), is scheduled to go back to the House this afternoon, where Martiny told LAGPAC representatives he intends to ask the House to reject the Senate-amended legislation. Martiny said he was unhappy with the "confusing and unclear" language in Jones' amendment, although it mirrors language that Martiny and his colleagues crafted during last month's House debate on HB 2036 by Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-New Orleans), which also would have amended the crime against nature statute. Martiny said he was also unhappy with other changes proposed by the Senate.
"We applaud Sen. Charles Jones for having the courage to sponsor our amendment and take it to the Senate floor. Getting the full Senate's support to change the antiquated crimes against nature statute was absolutely astounding." Protective orders could include same-sex couples Earlier this week, the Senate joined the House in approving a LAGPAC-supported bill by Rep. Jackie Clarkson (D-New Orleans) that would extend domestic violence protections to dating couples, including same-sex couples. When Clarkson's HB 1517 went before the House earlier this month, anti-gay Rep. Tony Perkins (R-Baker) railed against the bill, saying it should specifically exclude same-sex couples, even those who experience violence in their relationships. While the House rejected Perkins' homophobic attacks and passed the bill overwhelmingly, a similar, albeit toned-down attempt to exclude same-sex couples was made in the Senate by arch-conservative Sen. Clo Fontenot (R-Livingston). This time, however, Fontenot attempted to cloak his anti-gay rhetoric by saying the bill could erode family values. The Senate voted 34-4 in favor of Clarkson's bill, which now goes to the governor's desk for his signature. Clarkson's bill adds dating violence protection the state's Domestic Abuse Assistance Act, said Ayn Stehr, legal advisor to the Louisiana Protective Order Registry. This means dating couples could apply for court-administered protective orders against violent dating partners. Existing protective order coverage extends only to opposite-sex couples who are or were married, living together or formerly living together. Protective orders carry far greater legal weight than temporary restraining orders that can be obtained against people who threaten an individual or an individual's property, Stehr said. "Violation of a protective order is a crime, and that's why we wanted everyone covered," Stehr said. "Once a protective order is issued, federal law takes over and the person under restraint can't purchase or retain a firearm, which is important in violent relationships. "Extension of protective orders to dating couples is a great opportunity for the courts to send a strong message to a person who's violent that it's a crime and it won't be tolerated. Jackie Clarkson's bill closes an important loophole." While the legislation does not specifically include same-sex couples, Stehr said it also doesn't exclude them. "It will take a few courageous people to test the legal system" and seek protection in a same-sex domestic violence situation, Stehr said. "At least now the people who are affected by violence, and who aren't married or in otherwise 'sanctioned' relationships, have an avenue to seek protection." Stehr said that once Gov. Foster signs the legislation, she will work on updating protective order forms and information available at all clerks of course offices across Louisiana. The law would go into effect Aug. 15.
Chris Daigle, Board Chair Transgender Lobby Days They traveled by air, train, car and motor home from the Pacific Northwest and Florida, from California and Vermont. They came to "Climb the Hill" in search of their civil rights; civil rights that have for so long eluded us all! The National Transgender Advocacy Coalition's first Lobby Days were planned to educate and build a base from which to grow during a more favorable Congress and Administration. The results far exceeded expectations. "Awesome!" described the feelings of NTAC Chair Yosenio Lewis... Read more about NTAC's first annual lobby event at: http://www.ntac.org/newsletter/ |
Louisiana State Sen. Charles Jones stood up for equal rights for gays and lesbians under the state's sodomy law 
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