When It Comes to LGBT Rights, Think Global

On Tuesday, May 14, 2013, Minnesota became the 12th state in the Union to legalize same-sex marriage. A few days later, on Friday, May 17, 2013, almost no one in the United States called attention to the fact that it was the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO for short). In fact, no one even made mention that IDAHO was established in 2004 and is celebrated in over 100 countries around the world.

Our fight against homophobia and transphobia is not over in the United States. We still do not have federally recognized same-sex marriage in this country, nor do we have federally mandated non-discrimination against LGBT people. These things matter if you want to live as a free queer person in this country, if you would like to work and live in different parts of the United States to fulfill professional or personal ambitions. These things matter if your partner is not from the United States, as the government still is not giving green cards to people in binational same sex relationships. These things matter if you can't get the same tax breaks as everyone else, and if you can't get your partner's Social Security earnings once they pass away. It definitely matters if you have children.

Also, why is it the case that only one type of relationship will receive legal recognition? What is wrong with domestic partnership and civil unions, for heterosexual people or queer people? In fact, what is wrong with polyamory of any kind? In France, where same sex marriage was legalized the day after IDAHO, the government gives some rights and benefits to couples who choose to live together but not marry, as do most other European countries. In fact, the European Union is doing a better job in providing legal recognition of same-sex couples than the United States--only nine EU countries define marriage as between a man and a woman, as opposed to twenty nine US states against same-sex marriage.

Same-sex marriage does not lead to increased acceptance of gays and lesbians. In between legalization of same-sex marriage in Minnesota and IDAHO, three major gay bashings took place--two in New York City, and one in London, where same-sex marriage was passed in the House of Commons and soon will go up for vote in the House of Lords. The victim of the London gay bashing incident was Christopher Bryant, the editor of Polari magazine.

More than ever, the United States must join with all the member nations of the United Nations committed to combatting homophobia and transphobia. Here is the new video from the UN Human Rights Office, stating some facts, and their support.

Back to School for Hungry Homeless Kids

Roughly three hundred homeless students will start a new school year in Saint Cloud, and almost seventy in Sauk Rapids-Rice.

Local organizations such as Anna Marie's Alliance are providing all the support they can for children and teens in the shelters. It is extremely difficult for homeless kids in shelters to keep up with school, as shelters only allow families to stay for 30-45 days at a time. Anna Marie's Alliance has recruited tutors for the homeless children, and a fleet of five iPads so that students can stay connected with assignments and instruction through online learning and educational apps.

Even among the college set, some students couch surf and live out of their cars while they get an education. Their families might have kicked them out, they might have run away from home, or they simply have no family in the area and nowhere to stay while they go to college.

In Minnesota, ten percent of the population does not know where their next meal is coming from. Children make up forty percent of the hungry population. School becomes attractive to hungry kids, because they can receive at least one free meal there. Stearns and Sherburne Counties have more than the average number of hungry people in the state; many will be students.

For anyone who works in a school, the kindest thing to do is bring food for the kids. Any type of food will do. As Minnesota has also revamped its cafeteria menus to provide "healthier" lunches, all students will be eating less. Our hungry students will not make it through the winter without your help.

What No One Is Talking About

Voter turnout in the 2012 Minnesota primary election was the lowest in over 60 years.

Only 8% of the state voted.  People are either happy with the status quo, are resigned to the status quo, or...seriously...they did not get a reminder postcard from their local board of elections, or a booklet of some kind about the candidates.  Not only that, but candidates were not campaigning as hard this year as they had in previous years. 

Minnesota United: Don't Forget Saint Cloud!

In today's Minneapolis Star Tribune, there was a great article about Minnesotans United for All Families (MN United), and its work to get people across the state to vote "no" on the proposed constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriage in Minnesota.  Not once did the reporter mention Saint Cloud, nor did they mention the tireless efforts of the Saint Cloud organizers and all of the residents of Saint Cloud, LGBT and allies, who phone bank and canvas like mad for this issue.  Our Saint Cloud MN United contingent deserves recognition for going the ten extra miles to converse with locals on the issue of same-sex marriage.

Regardless of whether or not the amendment passes or fails, this issue has brought many different groups in Saint Cloud together for a good cause. 

Contact Star Tribune reporter Baird Helgeson and ask him whether or not he thinks Saint Cloud is chopped liver.

If that gets no results, contact the Saint Cloud Times and see if they will give our Saint Cloud chapter of Minnesotans United for All Families a story. 

Bullying Listening Sessions

The Minnesota Department of Human Rights (MDHR) is one of the organizations appointed to the Task Force on the Prevention of School Bullying. We are encouraging our colleagues and community partners to become engaged in the work of the task force.

The Task Force on the Prevention of School Bullying was created by executive order in February 2012. The task force will examine current trends in bullying, intimidation and harassment in Minnesota schools and will review existing related laws and regulations.  From this review and input from experts on the topic, the task force will define bullying, harassment and intimidation and then provide policy recommendations to the Governor and Legislature.  The task force is scheduled to meet through July 2012.

Here’s how you can engage with the work of the task force:

·         Provide public comments to the task force on the issue of school bullying.

·         Encourage others to provide their comments to the task force.

·         Attend task force meetings. Meetings are open to the public and tentatively scheduled to be held at the MN Department of Education (MDE).

·         Help turn out community members to listening sessions. The MDE is tentatively planning to host a few listening sessions in different communities across the state. These sessions will be open to the public.

We want to make sure that at minimum you know how you or your colleagues can provide comments, suggestions or ideas to the task force. You can provide your comments by:

1.       Speaking at a task force meeting: The last 15 minutes of the task force’s meetings on April 16^th, May 21^st, and June 18^th, will be set aside for public comments.  You can provide your comments during this time.

2.       Speaking at listening sessions: Listening sessions are tentatively planned for Bemidji, Rochester, and St. Cloud. Additional communities are being considered. There will be a time set aside during these sessions when participants can provide their comments. (Note: The location of the listening sessions is one of the agenda items for the task force’s April 16^th meeting.)

3.       Submit comments in writing: Written comments can be submitted to the task force co-chairs or the lead MDE staff person, Rose Hermodson, at rose.hermodson@state.mn.us.

We hope to provide a couple more updates to you on the work of this task force. You are highly encouraged to bookmark the Task Force on Prevention of School Bullying web page on MDE’s web site and use that web page as your source for updates on meeting agendas, handouts, task force meeting times, and other relevant information.

The next meeting of the task force is scheduled for April 16, 2012, at the MDE, Conference Center A, Room 13, 1500 Highway 36 West, Roseville, MN.  If you are interested in attending any of the meetings or providing public comments at the meetings, please contact Rose Hermodson at rose.hermodson@state.mn.us.   

STOP THE VOTER ID AMENDMENT NOW!

The Minnesota State Senate has approved photo IDs for voters 36-30.  All 36 "yes" votes were from Republicans.

The Minnesota Senate on Friday night approved a proposed constitutional requirement that all voters show a photo ID at their polling place.  Critics of the proposed amendment said that this will disenfranchise the elderly, the homeless, and certain minority groups...but remember that it is possible to get a photo ID from the state if you cannot drive. 

It is not too late to fight the Voter ID Amendment, and it is also not too early to get a photo ID.  Heck--every good American should have a passport.

Women in Minnesota: The Latest Report

The University of Minnesota Humphrey School's Center on Women and Public Policy, in partnership with the Women's Foundation of Minnesota, just released

Status of Women & Girls in Minnesota: Research Overview (February 2012).

This report states that, in all areas, "Minnesota women and girls continue to face disparate outcomes in comparison to men and boys in multiple measures of economics, safety, health, and leadership".  The disparities are even greater for Minnesota women of color, rural women, lesbian, bisexual, and transwomen, and women with disabilities.

If you want to find more information about the status of women in Minnesota, check out Gender Equality Explorer to create your own tables, maps, and reports to understand the status of women and girls in your community.

The State of Bullying in Minnesota

Students have the right to receive an education in a safe environment.  This is a human right.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, Minnesota receives the lowest marks for the lack of scope and definition in its state anti-bullying legislation.

Minnesota sets the record for the SHORTEST anti-bullying law in the nation--at 37 words.  Here is the text:

121A.0695 SCHOOL BOARD POLICY; PROHIBITING INTIMIDATION AND BULLYING.

Each school board shall adopt a written policy prohibiting intimidation and bullying of any student. The policy shall address intimidation and bullying in all forms, including, but not limited to, electronic forms and forms involving Internet use.

History: 1Sp2005 c 5 art 2 s 28; 2007 c 53 s 1

This policy does not define bullying, nor does it state that the bullying policy must address protected classes defined by the Minnesota Human Rights Act.  

To help address the issue, Governor Dayton has created the Task Force on the Prevention of School Bullying. Members of the task force and their affiliations include:

• Brenda Cassellius, Commissioner, Minnesota Department of Education
  
• Kevin Lindsey, Commissioner, Minnesota Department of Human Rights
  
• Willie Bridges, Senior Planning Manager, Hennepin County Attorney’s Office
  
• Vangie Castro, Youth Education Program Manager, Rochester Public Schools
  
• Phil Duran, Legal Director, OutFront Minnesota
  
• Alana Friedman, Teacher
  
• Julie Hertzog, Director, PACER National Bullying Prevention Center
  
• Lyn Mitchell, Co-Founder, AMAZE
  
• Jacob Reitan, Founder, Equality Ride
  
• Walter Roberts, Councilor, Minnesota State University, Mankato
  
• Dr. Thomas Scott, Pediatrician
  
• Senator Scott Dibble
  
• Representative Jim Davnie
  
• Two Republican legislators have been invited and are yet to be announced by leadership
  

Oldest Human Rights Commission in Minnesota Dismissed

The Human Rights Commission of Golden Valley, Minnesota was established in 1965, making it the first appointed commission in the state to address human rights issues.  Since then, 49 human rights commissions have been established in other cities and counties in Minnesota...but just this Thursday, two days before Christmas, the Golden Valley City Council has fired its Human Rights Commission.  

The Human Rights Commission asked the Golden Valley City Council if it could form a task force to investigate the use of unnecessary force used by police officers.  Since 2008, there had been two reported incidents of police brutality in Golden Valley.  The City Council was against the proposed task force, claiming that the methods of data collection that would be used to gather information from the police force would ruin peoples' reputations and violate the Data Practices Act.

Minnesota Department of Human Rights Commissioner Kevin Lindsey will be seeking more information. 

Somalia Pleads with US Over Wire Block

Somalia is pleading with the US government to reverse their decision to block money transfers from the Minnesota Somali community to their home country. 

Minnesota is home to the largest Somali population in the United States.  Most of those Somali families send money home to their relatives; without that money, Somalia would have a complete economic collapse.  The Minnesota Bankers Association decided to shut down the Somali money wiring agencies, known as hawalas, due to evidence that two Somali women in Rochester wired money to al-Shabab, identified as a terrorist organization. 

Money transfers to Kenya and Ethiopia, countries where other Somali refugees live in large populations, have also been affected by this decision to block money transfers.

All accounts with those money service businesses will close on December 30th if Sunrise Community Banks--the banking system that handles the bulk of money transfers from Minnesota to Somalia--does not receive legal and regulatory relief.  In the meantime, Minnesota politicians Senator Al Franken and Representative Keith Ellison are looking for solutions.

Where Were Human Rights in 1856?

Saint Cloud, central Minnesota's largest city, has had a spotty beginning in regard to the recognition of human rights.  From the date of its incorporation in 1856, Saint Cloud had been a segregated city.  It was originally composed of three distinct settlements--Upper Town, for settlers from the Northeastern United States, Middle Town, for settlers from Germany, and Lower Town, for settlers from the South.  Settlers from the South were allowed to keep slaves that they brought with them, even though slavery was prohibited in the Minnesota territory.

Saint Cloud, Minnesota is now home to people of all races, religions, and ethnicities.  It is assumed that all adult residents of Saint Cloud live in safety as free people--free to believe what they wish, free to speak their minds, free to work for themselves or for others, free to seek education and self-improvement, free to live where they wish, and free to love who they wish.  Many people work hard every day to ensure that the people of Saint Cloud have their freedom and personal safety--one such group is the Saint Cloud Regional Human Rights Office.  Another group is the Saint Cloud Police Department.      

Do They Know It's Christmas?

It's not Christmas yet, but regardless, pretty soon Somalis in Minnesota will be unable to send money back home to family in Somalia.  Due to multiple pending trials involving Somalis wiring money to supposed terrorist organizations, Minnesota is shutting down all of its Somali money-transfer companies, or hawalas, by Friday December 15th.

There is no formal banking system in Somalia; people depend on money-wiring shops to receive funds from outside of the country.

Meanwhile, Somalia--as well as Ethiopia and Kenya--is having the worst famine and drought they have seen in decades.