By Advocate.com Editors
Lambda Legal has reached a settlement with the Gary, Ind., school district, in the case of a transgender student who was barred from attending prom in a dress in 2006, and the district has adopted LGBT-inclusive policies as part of it.
K.K. Logan, who at the time identified as a feminine male and now identifies as female, was physically blocked by the school principal from entering the West Side High School senior prom in May 2006. The principal was enforcing a school policy forbidding the wearing of clothing or accessories that “advertise sexual orientation” or “portray the wearer as a person of the opposite gender,” although a female student was allowed to attend wearing a tuxedo, according to Lambda.
Lambda sued on Logan’s behalf in 2007, contending that the policy violated First Amendment guarantees of freedom of expression and that barring Logan from the prom constituted gender discrimination. The settlement, which Lambda announced Friday, provides for monetary compensation to Logan, with the amount not made public, and includes changes to Gary public schools’ dress code and nondiscrimination policies. The policies will now include specific protections for LGBT students, and school administrators and board members will receive training on LGBT issues.
The revised policies “will help to ensure that other students don’t face discrimination because of who they are or what they wear,” said Christopher Clark, senior staff attorney in Lambda’s Chicago office, who handled the case with co-counsel from the Chicago law firm of Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal. He added that the case should send a clear message to schools around the country.
Read more here.
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Showing posts with label Attorney General Gary King. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Attorney General Gary King. Show all posts
Friday, January 28, 2011
Friday, January 7, 2011
Good for gays, necessary for New Mexicans
By Michael Ray Huerta
Forget the ideology.
For a few moments, set aside your belief that I chose to be a raging “homosexual” whose only mission is to convert your children, and I’ll set aside my belief that you’re a bigot whose misunderstanding of the Constitution is matched only by your religious hypocrisy.
Let’s just forget about all that.
Instead, why don’t we talk about something we can all agree on. New Mexico needs jobs, and all of us – gay or straight – could use an economic revival in our lives. That is why this week’s opinion from Attorney General Gary King stating that New Mexico should recognize all out-of-state marriages – included same-sex marriages – was such good news.
In 2010, the economic buying power of the LGBT community grew to $743 billion. According to numerous studies, same-sex households are more likely to spend their increasing wealth than their heterosexual counterparts. Other studies, including one from the nonpartisan Urban Institute, explain that diversified and tolerant communities directly affect the growth and development of high-technologies.
Strong buying power. Skilled labor. Willingness to spend money.
I agree with our new Governor, Susana Martinez. We want people outside of New Mexico to know that we’re “…open for business,” and that our state is “…inviting people not only to grow their businesses here,” but to also grow their families and communities. What better way to do that than by telling Americans that New Mexico welcomes – with open arms – all hard-working people, regardless of their marital status.
We’re high on partisanship in this state, and low on economic development. So how about, just this once, we forget the ideology, and instead focus on getting our state back on track. Because in the end, while the attorney general’s opinion is good for gays, it is more importantly necessary for New Mexicans.
Huerta is a lifelong New Mexican from Las Cruces. His résumé includes work with The Human Rights Campaign, Hillary Clinton for President, Rep. Harry Teague, AmeriCorps, and serving as an elected delegate to the 2008 Democratic National Convention. Huerta now leads communications and operations at Citizen Schools New Mexico, a national non-profit that focuses on education reform.
source
Forget the ideology.
For a few moments, set aside your belief that I chose to be a raging “homosexual” whose only mission is to convert your children, and I’ll set aside my belief that you’re a bigot whose misunderstanding of the Constitution is matched only by your religious hypocrisy.
Let’s just forget about all that.
Instead, why don’t we talk about something we can all agree on. New Mexico needs jobs, and all of us – gay or straight – could use an economic revival in our lives. That is why this week’s opinion from Attorney General Gary King stating that New Mexico should recognize all out-of-state marriages – included same-sex marriages – was such good news.
In 2010, the economic buying power of the LGBT community grew to $743 billion. According to numerous studies, same-sex households are more likely to spend their increasing wealth than their heterosexual counterparts. Other studies, including one from the nonpartisan Urban Institute, explain that diversified and tolerant communities directly affect the growth and development of high-technologies.
Strong buying power. Skilled labor. Willingness to spend money.
I agree with our new Governor, Susana Martinez. We want people outside of New Mexico to know that we’re “…open for business,” and that our state is “…inviting people not only to grow their businesses here,” but to also grow their families and communities. What better way to do that than by telling Americans that New Mexico welcomes – with open arms – all hard-working people, regardless of their marital status.
We’re high on partisanship in this state, and low on economic development. So how about, just this once, we forget the ideology, and instead focus on getting our state back on track. Because in the end, while the attorney general’s opinion is good for gays, it is more importantly necessary for New Mexicans.
Huerta is a lifelong New Mexican from Las Cruces. His résumé includes work with The Human Rights Campaign, Hillary Clinton for President, Rep. Harry Teague, AmeriCorps, and serving as an elected delegate to the 2008 Democratic National Convention. Huerta now leads communications and operations at Citizen Schools New Mexico, a national non-profit that focuses on education reform.
source
Thursday, January 6, 2011
New Mexico AG: Other States' Same-Sex Marriages Valid Here
Gay couples legally married in other states and countries will be recognized in New Mexico, the state’s attorney general said in a legal opinion issued Tuesday.
"A comprehensive legal analysis by my office concludes that valid same-sex marriages in other states would likely be valid in New Mexico," Attorney General Gary King (pictured) said.
Despite his opinion, King said he cannot predict “how a New Mexico court would rule on this issue.”
A spokesperson for New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez issued a statement saying, "Gov. Martinez made it clear during the campaign that she opposes same-sex marriage. It's important to note that no New Mexico court has ruled on this issue."
Read more here.
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