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| Join
the Fight! -United We Stand?- |
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The list of individuals and groups recognizing the importance and need of uniting against discrimination is rapidly growing! In Michigan recently added to the list are the AFL-CIO and the Michigan Education Association. WHERE DO THE CANDIDATES AND OUR POLITICAL LEADERS STAND?
CONTACT THEM AND LET US KNOW! Link for elected officials contact: http://congress.org/congressorg/dbq/officials/ Additional contact information including phone numbers - House: http://clerk.house.gov/index.html Additional contact information - Senate: http://www.senate.gov/ WHERE MICHIGAN'S POLITICIANS STAND: Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm: Sunday, October 03, 2004 By Peter Luke (Booth Newspapers) Throughout her first two years in office, Gov. Jennifer Granholm has been criticized for failing to take decisive stands, lest an unpopular position dent her 65 percent approval rating. Some of it has been justified, some of it hasn't. Three months after the Citizens for the Protection of Marriage filed their signatures that put a gay marriage ban on the Nov. 2 ballot, Granholm has yet to put her considerable communications skills to work in opposition. When asked by reporters, the governor will say she's voting "no." A constituent who writes will receive a position statement in return, which is: While she supports the definition of marriage as the union of a man and woman, the constitutional ban goes too far and is unnecessary and divisive. "I am particularly concerned about this initiative because I believe it is designed to divide Americans by trying to use our state and federal institutions to cause pain for some of our families for largely political purposes," Granholm writes in her letter. "The constitution should be a shield used to protect the rights of our citizens, not a sword to hurt them by interfering in their most personal relationships." Republican
Rep. remains resolute against marriage amendment MEA opposes Proposal 2 Ballot initiative would infringe on bargaining rights of employees September 22, 2004 EAST LANSING, Mich., Sept. 22, 2004 - The Michigan Education Association (MEA) opposes Proposal 2 on Michigan's Nov. 2 ballot because it would infringe on the bargaining rights of public employees. Proposal 2 would amend the state constitution to provide that "the union of one man and one woman in marriage shall be the only agreement recognized as a marriage or similar union for any purpose." This proposal would ban domestic partner benefits offered by public employers, including state universities and school districts. Where they exist, those benefits have been negotiated through collective bargaining. "It's a bargaining issue," said Al Short, MEA director of Government Affairs. MEA members in K-12 districts and institutions of higher education - including Ann Arbor Public Schools and Michigan State University - have negotiated domestic partner benefits into contracts. As is the case with other statewide ballot issues and/or candidates, the MEA's Statewide Screening and Recommendation Committee considered the merits of the ballot initiative. The member-driven committee objected to the collective bargaining implications of Proposal 2, Short said. MEA represents more than 160,000 public school employees statewide, including K-12 teachers and support staff, and faculty and staff at institutions of higher education. From the Michigan Education Association Michigan
AFL-CIO Opposes Proposal 2 Ohio Gay Marriage Supporters Gain Powerful Ally by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff Posted: October 4, 2004 8:19 pm ET (Columbus, Ohio) The American Association of Retired People has announced its opposition to a proposed amendment to the Ohio state constitution that would ban same-sex marriage. Voters will decide the gay marriage issue in November. The AARP which has some 35 million members nationwide said that if the amendment is accepted it "will have unfair and injurious consequences for many older adults." “State Issue One would deny property ownership rights, inheritance, pensions, power of attorney and other matters of vital interest to the health and well being of unmarried older couples," AARP Ohio said in a statement. The support from the association is a major boost for opponents of the proposed amendment. Older citizens are more likely to vote. Polls taken before the AARP announcement show that the measure is likely to pass. Attorney General Jim Petro (R), Ohio State University , the League of Women Voters of Ohio, and business leaders across Ohio have already stated their support for defeating the amendment. Court efforts to block the vote were rejected last month. (story) Eleven states will vote on similar amendments in November. Social Workers Come Out in Support of Marriage for Same-Sex Couples NEW YORK – The National Association of Social Workers filed a friend-of-the-court brief today in support of the American Civil Liberties Union's lawsuit seeking marriage for same-sex couples in New York. “Lesbian and gay people are capable of being perfectly fine parents, and their families need the same protections and safeguards that the families of different-sex couples receive through marriage,” said Robert Schachter, DSW, Executive Director of the New York City Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, which includes 10,000 professional social workers. “It's time that we put aside our outdated ideas about marriage and recognize that allowing same-sex couples to marry will only strengthen families and benefit children.” The brief, which points to decades of social science research proving that gay couples are just as capable of being good parents as straight couples, debunks arguments by marriage equality opponents that allowing same-sex couples to marry would somehow be harmful to children. The brief notes that every mainstream child advocacy and mental health organization, including the National Association of Social Workers, the Child Welfare League of America, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Psychiatric Association and the North American Council on Adoptable Children, oppose restrictions on parenting by gay people. Today, the ACLU also filed a reply brief in the case responding to arguments made by the state, which is defending the state law that discriminates against same-sex couples in marriage. All briefing in the case is scheduled to be completed by September 3, 2004 . The court is expected to issue a decision in the case sometime this fall. The ACLU brought the lawsuit on behalf of 13 same-sex couples, many of whom had hoped to be married by New Paltz Mayor Jason West but were unable to do so after he was forced to stop performing marriages for same-sex couples. The lawsuit charges that state law prohibiting same-sex couples from marriage violates the state constitution's guarantees of equality and due process. Since the lawsuit was filed, two separate New York judges have dismissed criminal charges against Mayor West and others who performed marriage ceremonies for same-sex couples. In dismissing the criminal charges, both judges found that it was unconstitutional for the state to deny same-sex couples the right to marry. The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is the largest membership organization of professional social workers in the world, with 153,000 members. NASW works to enhance the professional growth and development of its members, to create and maintain professional standards, and to advance sound social policies. Learn more about NASW by visiting its website at http://socialworkers.org/ , and about the Kansas chapter by visiting http://knasw.com/ . The American Civil Liberties Union is our nation's guardian of liberty, working daily in courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country. The ACLU is non-profit and non-partisan. Our membership has grown from a roomful of civil liberties activists at our founding in 1920 to an organization of more than 400,000 members and supporters, with local offices that cover every state in the nation. The Lesbian and Gay Rights Project is a special division of the ACLU that was founded in 1986. The goal of the Project is equal treatment for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. That means no discrimination by government, no discrimination in employment, housing, schools and public places, and fair treatment of LGBT families and relationships. Biographical information about the couples represented by the ACLU as well as legal documents APA SUPPORTS LEGALIZATION OF SAME-SEX CIVIL MARRIAGES AND OPPOSES DISCRIMINATION AGAINST LESBIAN AND GAY PARENTS Denying Same-Sex Couples Legal Access to Civil Marriage is Discriminatory and Can Adversely Affect the Psychological, Physical, Social and Economic Well-Being of Gay and Lesbian Individuals HONOLULU – Prohibiting civil marriage for same-sex couples is discriminatory and unfairly denies such couples, their children and other members of their families the legal, financial and social advantages of civil marriage says the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Council of Representatives in a resolution adopted today. The APA also opposed discrimination against lesbian or gay parents adoption, child custody and visitation, foster care and reproductive health services. Both policy positions were adopted at the recommendation of an APA Working Group on Same-Sex Families and Relationships. The Working Group, appointed by the APA Council of Representatives in February 2004, was charged with developing policy recommendations for APA that would guide psychologists in the current public debate over civil marriage for same-sex couples. The Working Group was directed further to base its policy recommendations on the research on same-sex relationships and families. This seven-member team of psychologists with a combination of both scientific expertise in family and couple relations and professional expertise with lesbian, gay, and bisexual populations summarized the research that discrimination and prejudice based on sexual orientation detrimentally affects the psychological, physical, social and economic well-being of lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals, that same-sex couples are remarkably similar to heterosexual couples, and that parenting effectiveness and the adjustment, development and psychological well-being of children is unrelated to parental sexual orientation. "The APA recognizes the importance of the institution of civil marriage which confers a social status with important legal benefits, rights and privileges," said psychologist Armand R. Cerbone, who is a private practitioner in Chicago and chair of the working group. "Discrimination of all kinds takes a toll on people's health and psychological well being. In the context of the huge social and political debate that is currently going on, APA and psychologists had to grapple with the issue of what psychology believes is in the public interest in this controversy.” Given what research tells us about the impact of discrimination and given that the research further provides no justification for discriminating against same-sex couples in marriage or in parenting, the Working Group strongly recommended that APA support states in providing civil marriage to same-sex couples and fully recognizing the parental rights of lesbians and gay men. As a benefit for human welfare, it is important to point out that permitting same-sex couples to marriage may especially benefit people who also experience discrimination based on age, race, ethnicity, disability, gender and gender identity, religion and socioeconomic status, said Cerbone. According to the United States Accounting Office (2004), over 1,000 federal statutory provisions exist in which marital status is a factor in determining a person’s eligibility to receive various benefits, rights and privileges.APA Working Group on Same-Sex Families and Relationships: Armand Cerbone, Ph.D., Chicago, Illinois; Beverly Greene, Ph.D., St. John’s University; Kristin Hancock, Ph.D., Graduate School of Professional Psychology at John F. Kennedy University; Lawrence A. Kurdek, Ph.D., Wright State University; Candace A. McCullough, Ph.D., Bethesda, Maryland; Letitia Anne Peplau, Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles Full text of the resolutions is available at http://www.apa.org/pi/lgbc/policy/marriage.pdf (Resolution on Sexual Orientation and Marriage). Reporters: Armand Cerbone, PhD can be by phone at (773) 755-0833 or by Email The American Psychological Association (APA), in Washington, DC, is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States and is the world’s largest association of psychologists. APA’s membership includes more than 150,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Through its divisions in 53 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 60 state, territorial and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance psychology as a science, as a profession and as a means of promoting health, education and human welfare.
Here is a small representation of the many Local UNITED
VOICES listed as members of the Coalition for a Fair Michigan.
To view the long list of the many united against discrimination
in Michigan click here:
View the complete list |
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