photo: Sarah Streyle
Hospital Visitation: What You Need To Know The new rules are in! The new federal regulations for patients’ hospital visitation rights require nearly every hospital in the country to have written policies and procedures that ensure that LGBT families are not kept apart in times of crisis. Under the new rules, developed by the Obama Administration with input from the Human Rights Campaign and others, hospitals must: 1 Inform each patient of his or her right to receive visitors whom he or she designates, including a domestic partner;
It’s here! A ‘pop-up’ store for equality. In February, HRC threw open the doors of a new kind of store in Palm Springs, Calif. It will house an HRC action center and retail shop through Memorial Day.
2 Not restrict or limit visitation rights based on sexual orientation and gender identity, among other factors; and 3 Ensure that all visitors have full and equal visitation rights, consistent with a patient’s wishes.
See HRC’s Hospital Visitation Guide at www.hrc. org and click on www.hrc.org/protect-your-rights for more on advanced directives and other documents. And keep your eye on the HRC website for more.
Like at HRC’s other action centers and stores, visitors will get information on LGBT-related legislation and more. Part of merchandise sales will go to the purchase of HIV test kits distributed by the Desert AIDS Project, the main provider of medical care and support services to people living with HIV/AIDS in the desert community (www.desertaidsproject.org).
Palm Springs draws many of its wintertime visitors from Chicago and other parts of the Midwest, along with Portland, Seattle, San Diego, Los Angeles and Dallas. It is a popular LGBT destination, drawing tens of thousands each spring to the Dinah Shore weekend and the city’s White Party. Its Coachella music festival draws many others, too.
“So often, our stores are entry points for those people who have yet to find their political voice, where they can learn more, contact their members of Congress, even join HRC,” said Andy Linsky, a longtime HRC leader and co-chair of the HRC Foundation. “This move gives us exposure to folks who might never get involved in politics, volunteer for a political candidate or even be familiar with HRC.” Linsky, who lives in Palm Springs, spearheaded the effort, working closely with HRC Creative Director Don Kiser. The store will be at 3881/2 North Palm Canyon Drive, on a vibrant block with restaurants, art galleries and boutiques.
There’s a new best practice among employers that want to step up their commitment to equality. And it’s been gaining in popularity over the last year.
The Human Rights Campaign’s Workplace Project is developing a guide for employers on the topic, including how-tos on decisionmaking and implementation. Among those employers that have instituted grossing up are:
Previously, only a handful of employers had a “grossing up” policy in place — where they financially reimburse employees who are taxed for their domestic partner’s healthcare benefits.
Bain & Co. Inc. Boston, MA
HRC’s “pop-up” store is a temporary, campaignstyle space created to reach out to a new audience and increase support for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality.
Since federal law treats the value of domestic partner benefits as imputed income, employers that choose to gross up employees’ wages estimate the fair market value of their partner’s healthcare cost and pay back the employee to offset the additional tax burden. Employers do so in a lump sum or over the course of the year.
Barclays Capital New York, NY CoreLogic Westlake, TX Cisco Systems Inc. San Jose, CA Facebook Inc. Palo Alto, CA Fenwick & West LLP Mountain View, CA Google Inc. Mountain View, CA Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group Inc. San Francisco, CA
“The best thing we can do to be extraordinary is to be ordinary… to live, love and learn.” Daniel Hernandez, the intern of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., widely credited with saving his boss’ life with his medical skills, speaking during a visit to HRC a day before the State of the Union Address, where he was a guest of the First Lady. The openly gay Hernandez, 20, a political science major at the University of Arizona, was five days into his internship when the Tucson shooting occurred. Giffords is an HRC ally.
Talking to the Congregations From Jackson, Miss., to LaPorte, Ind., to Rochester, N.Y., HRC’s Religion and Faith Program is educating faith communities nationwide about issues related to gender identity. Hundreds of people — including clergy — in 40 cities have participated in HRC’s Gender Identity & Our Faith Communities workshops. They cover everything from personal experiences, religious and cultural analysis, and diverse faith journeys recorded in the essays of a dozen nationally recognized transgender and allied leaders. The workshops are led by transgender educators (themselves clergy or people of faith).
The 2011 Clergy Call for Justice and Equality is May 22-24, 2011!
This is the LGBT movement’s only clergy-based conference and national lobby day. We need religious leaders — like your local pastor, deacon or rabbi — to participate. Help us spread the word. See www.hrc.org/ClergyCall.
Morrison & Foerster LLP San Francisco, CA WWW.HRC.ORG
winter 2011
7