SHHHHHHHH!!!

April 18th - National Day of Silence

The Day of Silence is an annual event held to bring attention to anti-LGBT bullying, harassment and discrimination in schools. Students and teachers nationwide will observe the day in silence to echo the silence that LGBT and ally students face everyday. In it's 11th year, the Day of Silence is one of the largest student-led actions in the country.

JJ has entered the building!

My my my, gone for a week and so much has happened I am overwhelmed with things post and comment on!

Our esteemed legislature was very busy last week!

First, the Domestic Partnership bill passed:

Washington Legislature passes domestic partner bill

The bill passed easily on a 63-35 House vote despite condemnations from conservatives who said the bill was an affront to community values and religious freedom.

Then the Healthy Youth Act was passed:
Healthy Youth Act Approved

After four hours of debate, the Washington House of Representatives voted 63-34 Wednesday to require sexual education in public schools to be medically accurate. The vote sends the bill to Gov. Christine Gregoire for her signature.

Both of these items initiated a violent response from Joe Fuiten, self proclaimed leader of all Washington wingnuts. He is calling all Christians to pray for plague, famine, earthquakes etc. etc. to be called down upon Washington to demonstrate Gods displeasure with the passage of these two bills.

So far no earthquakes or famine have happened, I guess that means that God supports this legislation.

Hooray!

There has not been much to hooray about lately so this is timely!

Indianapolis public schools move to add sexual orientation to anti-discrimination policies

Hooray!

NJ Supreme Court: Schools Must Protect Gay Students

Hooray!

Gay teens coming out earlier to peers and family

Hooray!

Gay Bully bill passes Iowa Senate

Hooray!

Judge sides with Poway school officials who pulled student in anti-gay T-shirt

Oppressed Gay Youth? Fight back!

Gay youth are one of our most valuable resources and the most vulnerable! Gay teen suicide rates are the highest of any youth group in our nation. The constant harassment, bullying, and oppression in our school districts have prompted many districts to form Gay Straight Alliances.

Check out the FAQs at the Washington State GSA Network!

If you are a youth who is suffering from discrimination and harassment FIGHT BACK! Start your own GSA! For Spokane area youth, contact the Odyssey Youth Center at 509-325-3637. Or check out the GLSEN documents and support center HERE.

All youth should have the opportunity to be themselves and have a healthy, happy childhood without the fear of bullying and harassment!

Gay marriage in the hands of Gen – Next

Or so it would seem.

The good news, according to a recent Pew Research Center and MacNeil-Lehrer poll, young adults age 18-25 have more liberal views of race and homosexuality.

The bad news, this same poll indicates that this generation is less inclined to vote than other generations.

So, I guess until something dramatically changes with older generations, we have to patiently wait for our civil rights until this generation decides it is a good idea to get out there and vote! Hopefully, if marriage comes to a vote in Washington, the 18-25ers will get to the polls!

Report: Generation Next More Confident

The young adults of Generation Next are more optimistic, more tolerant and more likely Democratic voters than their predecessors, according to a new study.

Are less inclined to vote than older generations, though young voter turnout was up significantly in 2004. About 54 percent of those from 18 to 24 voted in 2004, and 74 percent of those 25 and over voted, Keeter said.

Have more liberal views than other generations on questions of race and homosexuality and immigration.

So there you have it. Go tell all of the 18-25 year olds that you know to get registered to vote! Then tell them to actually fill out the ballot and send it in. (They may need reminding every November.)

State of our schools

From 365Gay.com:

23% Of Washington School Districts Ban Teaching About Homosexuality

(Seattle, Washington) Nearly a quarter of the school districts in the state of Washington bar teachers from talking about homosexuality and nearly a third do not allow teachers to discus condoms.

And another reason to contact your elected representative.

At an Olympia news conference to release the study state Rep. Shay Schual-Berke (D) said she will reintroduce a bill this legislative session to make medically accurate sex education mandatory in Washington schools.

With Democrats in the super majority this should be a slam dunk, however, opposition to teaching medically accurate sex education is VERY strong and well funded.

If you don't know who your elected representatives are go here.

Your voice can make a difference - all you have to do is use it!

Getting to know our elected marriage equality advocates

WA State Representative Dave Upthegrove



State Representative Dave Upthegrove spent some time in Spokane just before Christmas to visit the Odyssey Youth Center and the Gonzaga Young Democrats. Rep Upthegrove is the only state legislator who has his own "MySpace" account. You can take a look at his online profile at Myspace/Upthegrove.

Rep. Upthegrove is from the 33rd Legislative District which includes Des Moines, Burien, Sea Tac, Normandy Park and Kent areas just south of Seattle. While he is representing his own constituency he has also visited our area to engage in conversation about the "East Side" views on marriage equality and LGBT youth issues.

I had the great pleasure of meeting Rep. Upthegrove during a fund raiser for Senator Chris Marr (who ousted LGBT arch nemesis Brad Benson in November). Then got to know him a little better when he visited Spokane last fall. I found him to be witty, intelligent, authentic and with a genuine passion for politics and the struggles of the LGBT community on both sides of the state.

I recently asked Upthegrove what his thoughts were on the marriage initiatives. He said that “The long-term goal remains marriage equality for gay & lesbian families. However, we recognize that more work remains to be done to educate the public and our legislative colleagues about the need for and importance of marriage equality.”

According to Upthegrove, a key component of the initiative is building healthy communities. “We will continue to make the point that all families, including gay & lesbian families deserve access to the stability, security and equal benefits of marriage. This is important because strong families are the building blocks of healthy communities.” Most importantly, building healthy secure families and community is the foundation of a healthy and tolerant society.

Rep. Upthegrove and 24 other Democrats who sponsored HB 1350, which would repeal the “Defense of Marriage Act”, do not expect this legislation to advance through the process this year. In addition to HB 1350, in a bi-partisan effort, he and his colleagues have introduced HB 1351 which provides a few of the basic rights that married couples are granted by our government.

"In order to provide some level of immediate protection to gay & lesbian families, and in order to continue to educate our colleagues and the public, we also have introduced House Bill 1351 to provide a limited number of protections for all same-sex domestic partners, and for opposite-sex domestic partners over the age of 62 (because they have unique problems relating to pensions and federal benefits). HB 1351 has 55 co-sponsors, including 3 Republicans, and we are optimistic that we can pass the bill into law. Early indications have been positive from the Democratic leadership of both the House and the Senate, as well as Governor Gregoire."

I asked Rep. Upthegrove what we could do to support the efforts in Olympia:

"The best thing supporters can do is to contact their legislators to ask them to support the domestic partnership bill (HB 1351) this year. Continue to educate your legislators about the importance of full marriage equality. Talk to your friends and neighbors about why marriage equality matters to you. The Legislature is a reflection of the people who send us here, so it is important to engage in community and public education. Join civil rights groups, donate money to organizations that are working for marriage equality. Most of all, don't lose hope. We're making progress, and with your continued commitment and hard work the values of equality and fair treatment will prevail."

Upthegrove is currently the youngest member of the Washington State House of Representatives and a strong advocate for equality and youth involvement in civic affairs and politics. He is one of our elected representatives taking a stand for equality and social justice. Please let him know what you think! You can send Rep Upthegrove some love for taking a stand on marriage equality here.