Update on lesbian TN couple who were victims of arson and hate crime

 We talked with Carol Ann Stutte on Saturday morning, learning more about the case and getting a sense of how the GetEQUAL community couple help out — I can’t tell you how wonderful these women are…they’re amazing. Here’s the situation:

Carol Ann and Laura Stutte owned a beautiful home on a beautiful piece of land in rural Tennessee — outside of Knoxville. Together for 16 years with a grown daughter, these women had developed a community for themselves in the heart of a very, very red state.

Their next-door neighbor began threatening them, repeatedly making direct threats that she would burn their home, poison their dog, and kill the couple. Shortly after each of the threats, those things came to pass — their dog suddenly died of poisoning and their beautiful home had been reduced to ashes.

It gets worse. The house was burned down while Carol Ann and Laura were out of town, celebrating their anniversary. When they returned, their home was burned to the ground and the word “QUEERS” was spray-painted on their free-standing garage.

It gets even worse. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation deployed staff to the scene…four days after the fire and following two rainstorms that destroyed much of the arson evidence. After the men drank coffee, cracked jokes, and kept their investigation dog in the truck, Carol Ann asked if they were going to investigate. The response? “I know you’ll find this hard to believe, but we have more important things to do right now.”

And, believe it or not, it gets even worse. The Stuttes immediately filed a claim with their insurance company and the insurance company didn’t send a team of investigators until a week and a half after the fire. After initially honoring their claim for living expenses while the Stuttes waited on the investigation to take place, the insurance company — American National Property & Casualty Company — kicked them out of their rental home and told them they were on their own.

It’s been almost six months since the fire, and American National Property & Casualty Company will now no longer return calls from the Stuttes — and have made clear that they will not honor their homeowners policy. Last week, the company offered to pay $610.18 — yes, $610.18 — toward the living expenses for the couple, which are now over $5,000 for the past 6 months. And it’s clearly nowhere close to the $206,000 property claim and the $155,000 claim for personal items.

The Stuttes were hoping to follow the rules, resolve the situation peacefully, and just wait on this investigation to end — but it’s clear that American National Property & Casualty Company believe that lesbian lives are worth a small fraction of the value of straight lives. And the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation refuses to give any updates, preventing this from being designated as a hate crime…while their neighbor not only walks free, but has been sighted on the property repeatedly since the fire.

The Stuttes were recently forced to file a lawsuit against their neighbor while they live in hiding in another area of Tennessee, since this woman remains free. They’re suing the neighbor for damages — in the hopes that it forces the investigation to move forward and they can again return to their normal lives.

The Stuttes have reached out to GetEQUAL for help, and we’re determined to make it very difficult for American National Property & Casualty Company to conduct business until/unless they honor the Stuttes policy. We’re starting a campaign targeting the company, and we’ll periodically be asking you to take coordinated action in order to make things very difficult for this company. We don’t believe a lesbian home is worth less than a straight home — and we’ll make it clear to American National Property & Casualty Company that they have a lot of work ahead of them.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>

If you’d like to make a donation to help the Stuttes out, please head here: http://knoxvillepridefest.com/2011/02/03/insulin/. They’ve raised enough money to live on for the past few months, but they’ve reached the end of that money — and their daughter is in need of a new insulin pump. This is clearly an immediate need.

Additionally, we’ll be hammering away at the insurance company in a variety of ways this week, both online and offline. For now, start the calls — their 24-hour customer service line is 1-800-333-2860. Word is that they have a prepared statement at the ready — be sure they read the whole thing, and feel free to ask questions. We’re completely happy with tying up their phone lines all day long!

When you call, add a comment on this Facebook post with the results, including any new information you learn. We’ll be setting up a way for folks to quickly send emails to all/most of their staff, actions at their offices in Missouri, etc. But, for right now, call their offices and prevent them from doing business!

Original Source

Garnet Coleman files suicide prevention bill that would ban anti-LGBT bullying, discrimination

by John Wright

State Rep. Garnet Coleman, D-Houston, has filed a bill that he says is designed to prevent future tragedies like the suicide of Asher Brown, a gay 13-year-old who took his own life last year in response to bullying at school.

Coleman’s HB 1386, filed today, calls on the state to develop a comprehensive suicide prevention program for middle, junior and high schools. The bill would also ban anti-LGBT bullying, harassment and discrimination in public schools.  Read more here...

Iowa lawmaker introduces bill allowing discrimination against married gays

By Mark Singer

DES MOINES — An Iowa House Republican has introduced legislation that would allow for legally protected discriminatory business practices — based on religious grounds — against those in a same-sex marriage.

The study bill, titled the “Religious Conscience Protection Act,” would allow any religious corporation, association, educational institution, society, charity or fraternal organization, or person employed by such entities, to be exempt from treating a same-sex marriage as valid, even though such marriages are legal in the state of Iowa.

They also could deny goods, services or accommodations if the marriage violated a person’s religious beliefs.

The Des Moines Register reports:

The same-sex exclusion is by itself constitutionally troubling, several legal scholars and civil rights activists said.

However, the bill is so broad that it would legalize a wide spectrum of other discriminatory acts, they said. They raised questions about whether services could be denied if, say, a Christian were married to a Jew or if a woman who is 60 married a man who is half her age and the couple could not procreate.

Anderson (R-Clarinda), an attorney and sponsor of the bill, told Register that his intent is is to protect religious liberty.

“I think what we’re trying to do is balance constitutional amendments,” said Anderson. “There is the 14th Amendment that we’ve heard a lot about. There’s also the First Amendment.”

According to the bill:

• An individual, small business or sole proprietor would not be required to provide goods or services “that assist or promote the solemnization or celebration of a marriage.” This includes benefits to the spouse of an employee, housing to a married couple and reproductive services.
• People or businesses that refuse to provide services or benefits based upon religious convictions would be able to do so without facing civil claims.

Anderson acknowledged that the bill is not a priority of House leaders, and is not expected to pass the Senate, where Democratic Majority Leader Michael Gronstal has resisted attempts to ban same-sex marriages.

Anderson said he wants to ban same-sex marriage, “a step that would drive state policy toward responsible procreation,” he said on the floor of the House last week. He has publicly stated that he thinks that same-sex marriage is a step toward state-recognized polygamy.

Earlier this year, Anderson submitted his name for consideration as an Iowa Supreme Court justice.

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Study reveals widespread discrimination against transgender people

A groundbreaking new study reveals that transgender people suffer widespread discrimination in a variety of fields, including education, employment, housing, health care, and more.

The study, “Injustice at Every Turn,” released Friday by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE), is the first large-scale national study of discrimination against transgender and gender non-conforming Americans, and paints a more complete picture than any prior research to date:

This study brings to light what is both patently obvious and far too often dismissed from the human rights agenda.

Transgender and gender non-conforming people face injustice at every turn: in childhood homes, in school systems that promise to shelter and educate, in harsh and exclusionary workplaces, at the grocery store, the hotel front desk, in doctors’ offices and emergency rooms, before judges and at the hands of landlords, police officers, health care workers and other service providers.

The study was based on the results from the National Transgender Discrimination Survey (NTDS), which received responses from over 6,450 participants.

Among the key findings from “Injustice at Every Turn”:

• Respondents were nearly four times more likely to live in extreme poverty, with household income of less than $10,000. 
• Respondents were twice as likely to be unemployed compared to the population as a whole. Half of those surveyed reported experiencing harassment or other mistreatment in the workplace, and one in four were fired because of their gender identity or expression. 
• While discrimination was pervasive for the entire sample, it was particularly pronounced for people of color. African-American transgender respondents fared far worse than all others in many areas studied. 
• Housing discrimination was also common. 19% reported being refused a home or apartment and 11% reported being evicted because of their gender identity or expression. One in five respondents experienced homelessness because of their gender identity or expression.  
• An astonishing 41% of respondents reported attempting suicide, compared to only 1.6% of the general population.  
• Discrimination in health care and poor health outcomes were frequently experienced by respondents. 19% reported being refused care due to bias against transgender or gender-nonconforming people, with this figure even higher for respondents of color. Respondents also had over four times the national average of HIV infection.  
• Harassment by law enforcement was reported by 22% of respondents and nearly half were uncomfortable seeking police assistance.  
• Despite the hardships they often face, transgender and gender non-conforming persons persevere. Over 78% reported feeling more comfortable at work and their performance improving after transitioning, despite the same levels of harassment in the workplace.

“By shedding light on the discrimination that transgender Americans face, this study poses a challenge to us all,” said Rea Carey, Executive Director of the Task Force.

“No one should be out of a job, living in poverty, or faced with sub-par health care simply because of their gender identity or expression. The scope of the problem is clear, and now we must come together to solve it,” she said.

You can download an Executive Summary (8 pages) of the report, or get the Full Report (228 pages) here.

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