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Worldview: Gay rights in Russia and corruption in India

Mon, 20 May 2013 11:54:00 -0500

Gay rights arrive at the Supreme Court

Tue, 11 Dec 2012 14:00:00 -0600

On Tuesday, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, challenged during a Q&A after a lecture about the loaded language he has sometimes used when discussing gay people, shot back, "If we cannot have moral feelings against homosexuality, can we have it against murder? Can we have it against other things?"

The polemic came in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to hear two cases which involve marriage rights: the odious Defense of Marriage Act and California’s Prop 8. Never mind Scalia's casual stringing of together of homosexuality and murder and how it might suggest moral equivalency — neither case involves our rights to “feelings” or even to discriminate and hate.

Scalia, who’s a likely nay vote on both cases, saw their arrival on the court’s docket way back in 2003. At that time Justice Anthony Kennedy, writing for the majority in Lawrence v. Texas, said the court’s ruling “does not involve whether the government must give formal recognition to any relationship that homosexual persons seek to enter.”

“Do not believe it,” Scalia replied. The decision, he argued, opened up the way to legalizing same sex marriage. He added that it left state laws restricting unions to opposite sex couples pretty “shaky.”

Now here we are, as Scalia predicted. Prop 8 is a California case that will mostly affect Californians. The court could decide the merits — the very legality of same-sex marriage — but it could also come down very narrowly, making it possible for California to restrict or allow same-sex marriage without spillover effects to other states.

The Defense of Marriage Act, which has tax and immigration implications as well as those of equal access, is the real red meat before the Supreme Court. It’s what really keeps state bans alive, what keeps binational couples apart and what denies queer families a host of federal benefits available to heterosexually-constructed families. The repeal of DOMA would change that.

This time around, the defense of DOMA is brought us by, among others, the Republicans from the U.S. House of Representatives. When President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder decided in March 2011 to stop defending the law, Speaker of the House John Boehner and his gang decided to hire Paul Clement (the same guy who argued against Obamacare in front of the Supreme Court), at a cost of $2 million of taxpayer money so far. His job: to convince the high court to keep the law on the books.

The law is ugly and it looks uglier now that public opinion seems to be favoring same-sex marriage, but it wasn’t always so: DOMA was signed by Bill Clinton and supported in the U.S. senate by none other than Joe Biden.

He was joined by several Democratic senators who are still serving: Tom Harkin of Iowa, Barbara Mikulski of Maryland, Carl Levin of Michigan, Max Baucus of Montana, Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey, Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico, Patrick Leahy of Vermont and even Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

In fact, DOMA passed 85-14, a shameful exercise in fear. Among those who stood up against the law there are a few who are still in the Senate: Both of California’s senators, Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, Hawaii’s Daniel Inouye, Massachusetts’ John Kerry, and Ron Wyden of Oregon. Not a single Republican voted to protect LGBTQ citizens.

In the House, DOMA passed 342-67, and only one Republican opposed it: Steve Gunderson of Wisconsin. In the Illinois delegation, only two Democrats voted against it: Jesse Jackson, Jr., and Luis Gutierrez. Even Bobby Rush, that great civil rights lion, voted for DOMA, as did current U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin.

But times change. Clinton says he’s sorry about DOMA, and Biden loves gays (I suspect he always did). Every single Democratic Senator who supported DOMA in 1996 now supports its repeal. Durbin and Rush are now on board.

And the Supreme Court? Well, if Lawrence v. Texas is an indication, Justices Kennedy, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Steven Breyer – who were in the majority – should be votes to strike down DOMA. Scalia and Clarence Thomas, who were joined by William Rehnquist in this case, will likely continue their dissent.

Elena Kagan actively worked to undermine DOMA as Solicitor General and Sonia Sotomayor has a record of ruling against discrimination of LGBTQs, making them very likely supporters of a DOMA repeal.

Before joining the court, Samuel Alito had supported the right to privacy, including consensual sexual activity, but he also believes that "anti-harassment" policy violates free speech, including the right to make "derogatory" speech on "contentious issues" such as "sexual orientation." Speech and same sex marriage aren’t the same thing, of course, but part of the argument against same sex marriage, especially Scalia’s, involves the right of society to discriminate against certain behaviors and reserve certain privileges. If I were to bet, I’d say Alito joins Scalia and Thomas. Or maybe he dissents alone, but he very likely dissents.

So the count looks good for repeal, so much so that Chief Justice John Roberts’ vote might not be necessary. But I suspect that Roberts, who is keenly concerned with history and precedent, may be about to disappoint conservatives again. My suspicion is that Roberts’ hand will be felt in keeping the ruling to its narrowest possible conclusion, but that, in the end, he’ll support repeal.

It’s been a while so most folks will have forgotten, but Roberts is no stranger to gay rights. In fact, once upon a time, he volunteered, pro bono, to advise on the queer side of a gay rights case. He doesn’t talk about it, the Right tries to rationalize it, but it’s there: as a young lawyer, Roberts weighed in for gay rights.

It’s not often that the Supreme Court makes me feel optimistic. But this time, especially given everything that’s happened since Lawrence, LGBTQ Americans may finally get some real honest-to-god rights.

Ugandan gay rights group files lawsuit in U.S. against American evangelist

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 14:51:00 -0500

In 2009, American evangelist Scott Lively spoke at a conference in Uganda entitled “Seminar on Exposing the Homosexual Agenda.” That same year, an anti-homosexuality bill was introduced in the Ugandan parliament. It became known as the “Kill the Gays Bill” because of its calls for the death penalty for certain homosexual offenses. After an international outcry, the bill has been in limbo but was recently reintroduced in parliament. Last week, a Ugandan gay rights group called Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) filed a lawsuit in U.S. federal court against Lively. The suit alleges that for the past ten years, Lively has participated in a conspiracy to deprive LGBT Ugandans of their human rights. Today, Worldview talks with Pam Spees, SMUG's attorney, and Mathew Staver, Lively's attorney.

Worldview 12.29.11

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 15:00:00 -0600

Chicago lost a one-of-a-kind gay activist this summer when Ifti Nasim died at the age of 64. He left his native Pakistan more than 30 years ago to live an openly gay life. In Chicago, Ifti became an advocate for South Asia's gay community, which faces intense internal stigma. He also hosted a local radio show, founded an LGBT group South Asians and became the first person ever to publish a book of gay-themed poetry in Urdu. To honor his memory, Worldview revisits a conversation with Ifti from last year. Also, Mfangano Island on Kenya’s Lake Victoria has one of the highest rates of HIV in the world. On today's Global Activism, two brothers behind the organization Organic Health Response explain how they've harnessed 21st century tools to fight HIV/AIDS on Mfangano.

Looking back on a year of progress for LGBT rights

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 14:12:00 -0500

October marked many occasions, including LGBT History Month. The past year saw lots of progress for gay rights--the right to marry and legalized civil unions in some states and the end of the military's policy "Don’t ask, don’t tell;" two examples of progress.

Individual milestones also occurred: Anthony Alfano came out as the first openly gay student body president at DePaul University, the largest Catholic university in the country. He said his decision to talk about his sexual orientation in a very public way was difficult, but he hoped it would a positive impact on others.

Alfano pointed to the "It Gets Better" project as a positive influence for people struggling with their sexuality. The project is the series of testimonials from gay and straight people encouraging teens that a brighter future is possible. Eight Forty-Eight checked the pulse of the projects’ impact and the state of gay rights with Windy City Times publisher Tracy Baim.

Chicago's Gay Pride Parade plans to wake up earlier in 2012

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 18:04:00 -0500

Chicagoans might need to wake up a little earlier for the Gay Pride Parade next summer; parade organizers plan to start the festivities at 10 a.m. instead of noon. Ald. Tom Tunney (44th) said he hopes the move will make the crowds more manageable and decrease outside alcohol consumption.

"The changes were precipitated by the actual success of the event and the attendees," said Tunney. "We went from 400,000 to basically 800,000 in a period of three years. What happened is it got too congested, unsafe, for the residents, and actually the spectators."

Parade coordinator Richard Pfeiffer agreed. "Most people are not there getting drunk or drinking, but you have a certain element of people that decide they want to get drunk, so by having the parade two hours earlier, we think that may allieviate some of that problem," Pfeiffer said.

According to Pfeiffer, clean-up costs after the parade have increased four times what they were a few years ago, and much of those parade expenses have fallen on the shoulders of Pride organizers.

Pfeiffer said multiple city departments have been involved in discussing potential changes to better next year's parade, scheduled for Sunday June 24, 2012, including the Chicago Police Department, the Chicago Fire Department, the Office of Emergency Management, and the Department of Streets & Sanitation, as well as the mayor's office and applicable aldermen. 2011's parade had record-setting numbers, which organizers said could be attributed to several historic LGBT events occuring right before the event, including the passage of civil unions in Illinois and the legalization of gay marriage in New York.

Parade organizers also plan to lengthen the route by five blocks to allow for more space for spectators, which will increase the access to the parade by two El stops. They'll also decrease the number of entries to the parade from 250 to 200.

According to Tunney, safety is the top priority in implementing these changes, which won't be implemented until permits are submitted after the new year. "We knew there was an accident waiting to happen," he said. "A serious accident waiting to happen."

Updated at 9:34 am on 10/06/11: This piece has been corrected to clarify that the number of floats will be decreased in 2012, not the number of entry points to the parade.

Census shows jump in Illinois same-sex households

Thu, 04 Aug 2011 19:12:00 -0500

New U.S. Census Bureau figures show the number of Illinois households run by same-sex couples has jumped nearly 42 percent in the last decade.

That's from 22,887 in 2000 to 32,469 last year.

The trend in Illinois mirrors those nationwide. Experts and advocates say social attitudes toward same-sex couples are changing. Also, over the last decade Illinois has passed several laws for gay rights. Most recently, the state approved same-sex civil unions, which give gay couples many of the same rights as married couples.

The census data released late Wednesday shows a 53 percent jump in female couples since 2000.

In 2000, most of the couples were male - 12,155 compared with 10,732 female couples. But last year there were 16,416 female couples compared with 16,053 male couples.

Gay Ugandans face ongoing discrimination despite international pressure

Tue, 01 Feb 2011 18:08:00 -0600

Last week Uganda’s most prominent gay rights activist, David Kato, was found murdered in his home. Official police reports say the motive was robbery, but many in Uganda’s gay community suspect otherwise. At David’s funeral, the pastor called on homosexuals to repent or “be punished by God.” That’s indicative of what life is like for gay Ugandans, a country where homosexual acts are illegal. Frank Mugisha is Chairperson of Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG). The organization advocates for the rights of gay people in Uganda. Frank talks about the legacy of David Kato, his colleague and friend, and what it’s like to be gay in Uganda. We spoke to Frank while he was in Chicago to speak at Columbia College's Ellen Stone Belic Institute for the Study of Women & Gender in the Arts & Media.

Local radio host had to leave his native Pakistan to live as an openly gay man

Tue, 04 Jan 2011 16:29:00 -0600

Ifti Nasim left his home country of Pakistan more than 30 years ago to live life as an openly gay man. He came to Chicago and joined the gay movement here.

Nasim’s now a poet and host of a local South Asian radio show. He’s also the co-founder of SANGAT/Chicago, a South Asian lesbian, gay and transgender organization. His book of poems, “Narman,” was the first book of gay themed poetry to be published in the Urdu language.

Nasim has spent his life trying to change the way South Asians view homosexuals, both here in Chicago and his native Pakistan. Today, he tells us about his life of activism.

The challenges facing civil unions in Illinois

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 14:31:00 -0600

As lawmakers at the federal level prepare to review policy around gays in the military, Illinois legislators made a move on another gay rights front. On Tuesday state representatives voted to allow same sex couples to enter into civil unions.

But does the law afford the same rights and protections that come with legal marriage and how difficult will it be to uphold? For answers, Eight Forty-Eight turned to Camilla Taylor. Taylor is the senior staff attorney in the Midwest regional office of Lambda Legal, a national organization working for gay rights.

Music Button: The Mercury Program, "Arrived/Departed", from the CD Chez Viking (Lovitt)