Health Discrimination Against Trans People Is Illegal

HHS Clarifies that the Affordable Care Act Prohibits Discrimination  Based on Gender Identity  Have you ever been discriminated against in our health care system? The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently confirmed that the Affordable Care Act’s (you know, Obamacare) ban on sex-based discrimination includes discrimination based on gender identity. This confirms the Task Force's longstanding position that federal civil rights statutes that prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex include protections against discrimination on the basis of gender identity. This means that no one can be discriminated against because of their gender identity or because of a healthcare provider's stereotype about sex — what a man or a woman “ought to look like.” Back in June, the Task Force and our New Beginning Initiative coalition partners sent HHS a letter asking for exactly this clarification. We're thrilled they agree with us and numerous federal courts that have issued similar opinions clarifying that sex-based discrimination protections also address gender identity. We encourage anyone who feels they have been discriminated against because of their gender identity to file a complaint with the HHS Office of Civil Rights, so your complaint can be investigated and appropriately handled. File a complaint at: http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/civilrights/complaints/index.html The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force builds the power of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community from the ground up. The Task Force is the country’s premier social justice organization fighting to improve the lives of LGBT people and working to create positive, lasting change and opportunity for all. The Task Force is a 501(c)(3) corporation incorporated in Washington, D.C. Contributions to the Task Force are tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law. © 2012, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, 1325 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Suite 600, Washington, D.C., 20005. Phone 202.393.2241. TTY 202.393.2284.theTaskForce@theTaskForce.org.

Nebraska Watchdog article re: Hate crime

Hate crime a hoax? Neighbor doubts it

By Deena Winter  /   July 25, 2012  /   20 Comments

LINCOLN — If Linda Rappl hadn’t been up late visiting her husband in the nursing home Saturday night, she would have never been sleeping on the couch in her living room early Sunday morning, never would have heard the knocks on her door at about 4 a.m., never would have opened the door to see her neighbor standing there naked, hands bound, dripping blood and sobbing.

Rappl was well acquainted with the 33-year-old Lincoln woman, and quickly threw a blanket over her. The woman’s forehead was slashed and her legs were bleeding.

“She was sobbing, she was shaking. She said ‘Could you call 911?’ ” Rappl said. “She said, ‘I think my house is on fire.’ ”

Rappl didn’t ask her any questions, just called 911 and handed the phone to the woman when the dispatcher started asking questions. Her neighbor told police three masked men came into her house while she was sleeping, overpowered her, carved anti-gay slurs into her skin and tried to set her house on fire. Rappl heard her tell the dispatcher she believed they did it “because she was gay.”

Rappl said the woman had been her neighbor for about six years, and she knew she was a lesbian, even though she wasn’t very brazen about it.

“She was real concerned when she first moved in — she thought I wouldn’t like her because she was a lesbian,” said Rappl, a 68-year-old retired special education paraeducator for Lincoln Public Schools. “I really had to make an effort to let her know I didn’t care.”

Rappl said the woman mowed lawns, shoveled snow and helped carry groceries for neighbors. She took in foster dogs and had three rescue dogs and one foster dog at the time – dogs that Rappl rounded up because they were running loose in the neighborhood after the incident.

The woman is “a tough cookie,” hard worker and good neighbor, Rappl said.

So she was stunned to see reports today that police have not ruled out the possibility that her neighbor staged the whole incident. The woman knew Rappl’s husband was sick with cancer, emphysema and Alzheimer’s disease and she was getting ready to bring him home to die. It’s hard for her to believe her neighbor was acting, staging the whole thing, involving her in a hoax when she knows Rappl is going through a difficult time. In fact, her husband died last night.

“She definitely would have had to have an accomplice,” she said. “It’s hard for me to imagine.”

The woman’s hands were bound tightly with plastic ties, she said. And the woman wasn’t very bold about her sexuality. She lived with one woman for several years before they split up about a year ago.

“I don’t know much about that life of hers but I don’t think she’s a real activist,” Rappl said. “She’s been very low key about her lifestyle and everything. It’s not like she advertises it.”

She said the woman had a job but “got laid off or something” and was working part time while looking for a new job.

“She kind of reminds you of an ol’ farm girl,” she said. “She wouldn’t want people to see a weak side of her.”

Later on Sunday, when the woman got out of the hospital she returned to home to get her dogs and went to Rappl’s house to apologize to her foster son for waking him up so early.

“I just said, ‘I’m so sorry,’ ” Rappl said. “We hugged and she left.”

The woman went to an emergency shelter, Rappl said.

Today police spokeswoman Katie Flood said police are investigating all aspects of the case, including the possibility it was a false report, which is not uncommon and part of a thorough investigation.

“We examine cases on a daily basis with the possibility that details could be embellished or fabricated – not just hate crimes, but also cases such as assaults, robberies and hit and run accidents,” Flood said via email.

The case has Lincolnites puzzled, not sure whether they live in a town where such hatred exists, or such a hoax happened. Gay rights have been in the news a lot lately after the Lincoln City Council approved an ordinance extending civil rights protection based on sexual orientation and gender identity. But residents got enough signatures to refer the issue to voters, likely in November.

Lincoln was the birthplace of Brandon Teena, a transgendered 21-year-old who was among three people killed in 1993 near Humboldt.

Some 500 people attended a candlelight vigil for the victim outside the capitol on Sunday night, and another vigil was held tonight in Lincoln.

The president of a Lincoln gay rights group called Outlinc released a statement today in response to the news that police haven’t ruled out the possibility of a hoax.

Tyler Richard said Lincolnites can only trust in police to investigate every possibility.

“They have my full faith and trust as they move forward,” Richard said. “People are concerned, confused and many are still afraid.”

He added that Outlinc hasn’t accepted any donations on behalf of the victim, saying “Allegations that the support being offered has been taken advantage of are as disturbing to me as the reports we learned of earlier this week.”

“It is my hope that the residents of Lincoln will respect that this is a time when we need facts – not rumors – and that this investigation takes time,” he continued. “I have trust that law enforcement will look into these allegations and when appropriate release their findings.”

Reported by Deena Winter, deena@nebraskawatchdog.org

Embracing Love Not Hate: A Vigil at First-Plymouth Church

Embracing Love Not Hate: A Vigil

People of all faiths and beliefs are invited to attend a service of healing and hope and a vigil Wednesday, July 25th at 7:00pmstarting in the sanctuary at First-Plymouth Church, 20th & D Streets.

"Embracing love not hate" will be the theme in response to the attack this weekend on a member of the LGBT community. The community is invited to attend the service and vigil, to come together to support each other, to heal, and to move forward with love and determination.  A poster will be available in the sanctuary for people to write words of love and hope to the victim.

Following the service, people are invited to participate in a silent prayer walk together around the Near South Neighborhood. The vigil will end in the church's courtyard.

Pastors Jim Keck, Nancy Erickson, Barb Smisek, Greg Stewart and Kim Morrow Hinrichs will be leading the service. Dr. Karen Becker, Cello Professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and TomTrenney, First-Plymouth's Minister of Music will be playing the musical piece "Song without Words," by Craig Phillips.

Understanding K & the Red Balloon

Only TWO shows remaining!!

OmniArts nebraska's

UNDERSTANDING K & the RED BALLOON

Today, Saturday, July 21 at 2pm and 7:30pm

Johnny Carson Theatre at the Lied Center for Performing Arts

Come see what the Lincoln Journal Star has described as, "imaginative staging and an array of talent in voice, dance and acting ..." 

Call 402.472.4747 to reserve your tickets today!

Read the full review at: http://journalstar.com/entertainment/arts-and-culture/review-omniarts-productions-imaginative/article_fb9e2f46-5c20-5ba5-9451-0250b5f093dc.html#ixzz21Go0qTeU

Boy Scouts petition

Boy Scouts: Stop the secrecy! Allow your Board to VOTE to end the ban on gay scouts and leaders Started by: Zach, Iowa City, Iowa I am a proud Eagle Scout. I'm also the proud son of two lesbian moms. It's time for those two things to stop being contradictory. The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) have announced that a "secret committee" has confirmed the Scouts' long-standing policy barring openly LGBT individuals from involvement in its organization, either as youth participants or adult leaders. This shocking "announcement" comes on the heels of a three-month campaign against that policy by various groups -- including Scouts for Equality, of which I am a co-founder -- and people like Jennifer Tyrrell, a gay den mother ousted from the Boy Scouts in April. Secret committees do not speak for three million Scouts. Last month, I delivered nearly 300,000 petition signatures to the Boy Scouts' annual convention, and days later, a resolution was introduced that could allow openly gay scouts and leaders for the first time in the history of the BSA. But instead of allowing that resolution to be voted on by the executive board, the BSA instead decided to maintain their anti-gay ban without a vote. Because a secret committee said so. Above all, what's most disappointing is the secretive nature surrounding how this “decision” was reached. The very first value of the Scout Law is that a Scout is trustworthy. There is absolutely nothing trustworthy about unelected and unnamed committee members who are unwilling to take responsibility for their actions. In June, an Associated Press story said that BSA spokesperson Deron Smith indicated that "the process would likely be completed by May 2013" at the next annual BSA convention. But that was before two prominent BSA executive board members -- Ernst & Young CEO Jim Turley and AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson -- announced that they would oppose the ban and work to overturn it.  Something here doesn't add up. We need transparency. We need accountability. More than 3 million individuals deserve more than the one-off musings of a subcommittee that has supposedly existed for more than two years but has not published a single report, has published no minutes and has, as far as anyone can tell, no official documentation. That's why I've started this petition demanding that the Boy Scouts of America allow the resolution to allow openly gay scouts and leaders to come to a vote at the next BSA convention, in May of 2013. A secret committee should not silence the voices of hundreds of thousands of Americans. Let the BSA Executive Committee decide--let the resolution come to a vote in May 2013.

PFLAG July Potluck Picnic Tuesday July 24 at 6 pm!!

Dear all, PFLAG-Cornhusker holds an annual potluck picnic each July. The picnic starts at 6 pm and is at the Unitarian Church in Lincoln at 63 & A Street. PFLAG will provide some fried chicken and bbq beef, water, lemonade and ice tea. We will also have paper plates and plastic ware. You bring some food to share! DJ Lady Ice will be playing music for us starting at 6:30 pm. A good time to eat in doors in the cool air, with some great people and have some social time. Anyone who wants to stay after for support, just let us know! Pat Pat Tetreault, Ph.D. Director, LGBTQA Resource Center Assistant Director, Student Involvement 346 Nebraska Union Lincoln, NE 68588-0453 Ptetreault1@unl.edu 402.472.1752 http://Involved.unl.edu/lgbtqa https://nufoundation.org/sslpage.aspx?pid=9038

Please help spread the word of a gay friendly petition

Hi, About a month ago, I started a petition to allow gay men the right to donate blood. I am emailing you to ask you to please sign the petition I have created, and pass it around to as many people and friends (and other local LGBT organizations within the university and surrounding area) as you can? You can find this petition at:http://www.change.org/petitions/u-s-food-and-drug-administration-allow-gay-men-to-donate-blood Thank you for your time, consideration, and help, --Mike Hernández