SGN December 26, 2014 - Section 1

Celebrating 41 Years!

Issue 52 Volume 42

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Seattle Gay News SEATTLE’S LGBT NEWS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

Showdown in Florida

SCOTUS turns down stay on marriages; state officials stall

marriage is shaping up in Florida, as the U.S. Supreme Court turned down a request to stay a A show down over same-sex lower court ruling in favor of

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

down Florida State Attorney General Pam Bondi’s request for a stay on December 19, clearing the way for marriages to begin in Florida on January 6. U.S. District Judge Robert Hinckle struck down the state’s ban on same-sex marriage on August 21, but Bondi wanted to hold up marriages pending appeal.

Although Bondi subsequently issued a statement saying that “the Supreme Court has now spoken, and the stay will end on January 5,” the law – which includes criminal penalties for county clerks who issue licenses to same-sex couples – remains on the books, and is still enforceable according to some state officials.

Shortly after the Supreme Court announced it would not hold up Florida marriages any longer, the Florida Clerks Association – a professional group representing county clerks – issued “legal advice” to its equality, but state officials resist members telling them not to issue liissuing marriage licenses to Gay censes to Gay and Lesbian applicants.

On December 22, Orlando Mayand Lesbian couples. or Buddy Dyer said he was preThe U.S. Supreme Court turned

Ugandan activists launch LGBT magazine

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

see Florida page 13

New FDA blood donor policy draws criticism from LGBT groups Facebook

Defying conservative public opinion and a government that has threatened to execute them, LGBT activists in Uganda have launched a new magazine titled Bombastic.

The first issue appeared December 22 and is available in Uganda in hard copy, and online at http:// www.kuchutimes.com/bombasticmagazine-online-edition/ “This publication is to give you an insight into the lives of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) persons of Ugandan society,” the lead editorial says.

“The stories you are about to read are real life stories of your parents, brothers, sisters, teachers, clergymen, and friends.”

The 75-page publication contains personal stories, often accompanied by photos of the writers – in itself a brave statement – and editorials. It was distributed by activists who personally took copies to all parts of the country.

“BOMBASTIC will speak for the many voiceless LGBTI Ugan-

pared to officiate at a mass samesex wedding at City Hall on January 6, but the County Clerk’s office of Orange County, where Orlando is located, declined to issue licenses to same-sex couples, saying a private law firm had advised them they could be charged with a misdemeanor if they did so.

The same day, all four Tampa Bayarea county clerks announced they would turn away same-sex couples applying for marriage licenses.

“We’re sympathetic but we have to follow what we know is the direction of the court, based on advice from our legal counsel,” Pinellas Clerk of Court Ken Burke said December 22.

On December 23, Miami-Dade County Clerk Harvey Rubin, the losing defendant in the case before Judge Hinckle, asked the Eleventh Circuit Court to clarify the details of the stay’s expiration.

Also on December 23, Equality Florida and the National Center

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced December 23 that it will now recommend accepting blood donations from Gay men, but only if they have been celibate for one year prior to donating.

The new rule ends a total ban on blood from Gay men that has been in place since 1983, at the beginning of the AIDS epidemic. see Bombastic page 11 According to Reuters, the policy

change is expected to boost the supply of donated blood by hundreds of thousands of pints per year.

The FDA said it will issue draft guidance on the new policy early in 2015. It will then review the comments and issue final guidance “as quickly as possible,” Peter Marks, deputy director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said during a press briefing.

An FDA advisory committee see Blood page 6

2 Seattle Gay News

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Celebrating 41 Years!

SASG tree lot fundraiser raises $214,501.50 It has been an amazing 30th year serving the Seattle LGBTQ community at Seattle Area Support Groups (formerly Seattle AIDS Support Group). This year also marked the 25th annual SASG Holiday Tree & Greenery Sale fundraiser.

“Thanks to the dedication of our amazing volunteers, staff, and loyal supporters, we raised $214,501.50 this year!” said Joshua A. Wallace, Executive Director of SASG. “This is the fourth year in a row that we have been able to set a new record for this fundraiser.

Special thanks also go to Group Health for donating their employee parking lot and providing us with power. Their generosity has allowed us to have more space, customer parking, and safe working conditions for our volunteers.”

“The family in the picture were celebrating their 20th year buying a tree from us,” he added. “That was pretty cool.”

Courtesy of SASG

ACLU sues Indiana school district for not recognizing Gay Straight Alliance securing a faculty member to supervise the group, the lawsuit says.

“The law is clear in this matter,” said Ken Falk, ACLU of Indiana legal director. “There is no excuse for the school district’s intransigence, which is causing real harm to its students.”

The ACLU of Indiana was successful in reversing a similar decision by a school in the Town of Munster in July 2014.

“The actions of the school district in clear

The ACLU has filed suit against an Indiana school district on behalf of three high school students who want to form a Gay Straight Alliance.

The North Putnam High School Community School Corporation – the district school authority – has refused to recognize the GSA. Former North Putnam principal Alan Zerkel said he was informed of the GSA during the 2013-2014 school term and would have approved it had he had the authority to do so.

The issue went to the school district in June 2014, and then again in September. It was finally brought up for a vote on November 20, but the board split 3 to 3 with one

abstention, meaning the GSA failed to win official recognition.

For that reason, the club has not been allowed to meet on school grounds or promote its activities within the school.

However, the lawsuit says that LGBT students at the school have frequently been harassed and wanted to form the GSA to provide a place to educate the community and support vulnerable students.

The school also allows other non-schoolsponsored clubs and activities to meet, such as the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Key Club and Best Buddies, but has denied recognition of the GSA club for more than a year.

The students followed all the school’s required procedures outlined in its student handbook to establish the club, including

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by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

violation of federal law leave the most vulnerable students at North Putnam without critically needed support,” Chase Strangio, Staff Attorney at the ACLU added.

In November 1999, a federal district judge ruled that the Salt Lake City school district’s decision to reject a GSA at East High School violated the federal Equal Access Act. Lambda Legal served as lead counsel in the Salt Lake City case.

North Putnam High School

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Celebrating 41 Years!

2016 presidential poll: Dems love Hillary, GOP loves no one REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Hillary Clinton

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer The final ABC News/Washington Post poll of 2014 gives Hillary Clinton a huge lead over possible rivals for the Democratic Party presidential nomination. On the GOP side, however, it shows respondents splitting their votes a dozen ways.

According to the poll released December 23, Clinton has a 49-point lead, with 63% support, followed by Vice President Joe Biden with 14% and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) with 11%.

None of the Democrats have announced their intention to run, although Clinton launched a poorly-received national book tour earlier in the year. Warren regularly denies she is a candidate, but MoveOn.org has launched a petition asking her to run.

Other potential Democratic candidates include former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, and former Virginia Senator Jim Webb. Webb has launched an exploratory committee, usually regarded as the first step in running, but the two only get about 5% support between them.

While Clinton’s huge lead may seem unchallengeable, she squandered a similar lead in 2008, losing the nomination to Barack Obama.

On the Republican side, there is no clear

favorite. Failed 2012 presidential candidate Mitt Romney leads the pack with 20%, followed by Jeb Bush with 10%, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) with 9%, and Congressman Paul Ryan (R-WI) with 8%.

Of the GOP leaders, only Bush has launched an exploratory committee. Romney has denied he is a candidate, and Paul has filed to run for reelection to the Senate – which will prevent him from running for the presidency under Kentucky law.

The next group is not far behind the leaders. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) comes in at 7%, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, and TV pundit Ben Carson tie at 6% apiece, and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker gets 5%.

Christie was soundly booed by football fans in Philadelphia when he appeared at a Cowboys-Eagles game with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.

Texas Governor Rick Perry, who ran an astoundingly inept 2012 campaign for the nomination, gets just 4%, tying Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL). Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum trails at just 2%.

If Romney decides not to run, Jeb Bush becomes leader of the pack, but picks up only five points, coming in at 15%. Rand Paul and Paul Ryan follow with 11% apiece.

Jeb Bush doesn’t hate you, but he doesn’t like you very much either Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush said on December 16 that he will now “actively explore the possibility of running for President.”

Bush made the announcement of his intention to follow in the footsteps of his big brother George W., and his father George H.W., via a post on his Facebook page.

He will also create a PAC, or political action committee, to “facilitate conversations with citizens across America,” he said.

Unlike other potential Republican presidential nominees – Rick Santorum leaps to mind – Bush has resisted the temptation to demonize the LGBT community in order to score cheap points with his party’s conservative base. That doesn’t mean he supports LGBT rights, however.

In fact, Bush’s record on LGBT rights seems mixed, at best. When he first ran for governor of Florida in 1993-1994, he openly sneered at demands for laws protecting sexual orientation and gender identity.

“I don’t believe we need to create another category of victims,” he told a Lesbian couple who heckled him at a 1993 campaign event.

Also in that campaign, his staff asked that caterers at a fund-raiser held at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center remove the red ribbons that they regularly wore in remembrance of AIDS victims. Those ribbons were a political statement, Bush staffers explained, and sent the wrong message for Bush’s campaign event.

Bush lost that run, but continued to cam-

paign, building up to a successful election in 1998. As part of that effort, he wrote a book, Profiles in Character, in 1995.

“Since the 1960s, the politics of victimization has steadily intensified,” Bush wrote.

“Being a victim gives rise to certain entitlements, benefits, and preferences in society.

The surest way to get something in today’s society is to elevate one’s status to that of the oppressed. Many of the modern victim movements – the gay rights movement, the feminist movement, the black empowerment movement – have attempted to get people to view themselves as part of a smaller group deserving of something from society.”

In a 1998 election campaign questionnaire, Bush said he opposed protecting sexual orientation in Florida’s anti-discrimination laws, and also opposed marriage equality.

As governor, Bush dismantled Florida’s affirmative action laws, substituting his socalled “One Florida” initiative – designed to eliminate categories like race and gender from consideration in public policy decisions. Sexual orientation and gender identity were never protected categories under Florida law.

In 2006, well into his second term as governor, Bush said he was leaning towards a state constitutional amendment prohibiting same-sex marriage. The measure eventually passed at the ballot box in 2008, as Bush was leaving office.

More recently, Bush has expressed some support for LGBT families, while still opposing same-sex marriage rights.

“I don’t think people need to be discrimi-

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by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

Jeb Bush

nated against because they don’t share my belief on this, and if [Gay] people love their children with all their heart and soul, that should be held up as examples for others to follow because we need it,” he told Charlie Rose in June 2012.

In 2013 he told the conservative CPAC conference that “way too many people be-

lieve Republicans are anti-everything,” including “anti-gay.”

In a Quinnipiac poll published earlier this month, Bush ran second to Mitt Romney among Republican presidential hopefuls, with 11% to Romney’s 19%. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie tied TV and radio pundit Ben Carson for third, with 8% apiece.

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Argentine court rules that orangutan can’t be held by zoo against her will A court in Argentina has ruled that an orangutan now in the Buenos Aires zoo must be released to a wildlife sanctuary in Brazil where she will enjoy greater freedom and privacy.

Sandra the orangutan was born in a German zoo in 1986 and arrived in Buenos Aires in 1994.

At 28, she is middle-aged for an orangutan.

Unlike chimpanzees and gorillas, orangutans are solitary in the wild, and Sandra is even shyer than most of her orangutan colleagues. She reportedly hates to be stared at by human zoo visitors, sometimes pulling a tablecloth over her head to avoid their gaze.

Lawyers for Argentina’s Association of Professional Lawyers for Animal Rights (AFADA) filed a writ of habeas corpus on her behalf in November 2013, charging the zoo with “the unjustified confinement of an animal with probable cognitive capability.”

Orangutans are among the most intelligent primates. Two orangutans at the Atlanta zoo regularly play computer games, and those at the Leipzig zoo have been observed applying

the principle of “calculated reciprocity,” in other words they weigh the costs and benefits of gift exchanges and keep track of them over time.

While the zoo’s attorneys maintained that Sandra was a “thing” and not a “person,” AFADA’s lawyers said she was a “non-human person” with rights similar to those of humans. After rejecting their arguments several times, the court finally agreed that Sandra had rights that could be legally defended.

“This opens the way not only for other Great Apes, but also for other sentient beings which are unfairly and arbitrarily deprived of their liberty in zoos, circuses, water parks and scientific laboratories,” AFADA lawyer Paul Buompadre told La Nacion newspaper.

In a similar case, a U.S. court reached an opposite conclusion, however. On December 4 a New York state appeals court ruled that the owner of a chimpanzee did not have to surrender him to a wildlife refuge.

Tommy the chimpanzee is thought to be about 40 years old, and is retired from the entertainment industry. He was given to Patrick Lavery 10 years ago.

The Nonhuman Rights Project filed suit on

JuanMabromata / AFP / GettyImages

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

Sandra the Orangutan

Tommy’s behalf, arguing that since chimpanzees had very similar characteristics to humans, they should be recognized as “legal persons” with rights enforceable by U.S. courts.

The appellate court disagreed, ruling that there is no precedent for recognizing the legal rights of chimpanzees.

“So far as legal theory is concerned, a person is any being whom the law regards as ca-

pable of rights and duties,” the court wrote in its opinion.

“Needless to say, unlike human beings, chimpanzees cannot bear any legal duties, submit to societal responsibilities or be held legally accountable for their actions.’’

Lavery said he was happy that Tommy will remain with him. The Nonhuman Rights Project said it would appeal to the state Supreme Court.

Syphilis infections up 10% CDC says of syphilis infections reported to the CDC in 2013 rose by more than 10% over the previous year, with 17,535 new cases. That represents the highest number of syphilis cases since 1995, the CDC said.

CDC doctors warned that the increase in syphilis cases may also indicate the “very alarming” possibility that new HIV infections will also increase.

“Syphilis is like the canary in the coal mine for HIV,” Dr. Jill Rabin said. “People are going to be positive for syphilis before they are diagnosed with HIV. This means that there is a potential increase in HIV cases.”

Rabin is co-chief of the division of ambulatory care in the Women’s Health Programs-PCAP Services at North Shore-LIJ Health System in New Hyde Park, New York.

Syphilis is a bacterial infection spread

mainly through unprotected sexual contact, although it can also be spread from mother to fetus.

Because syphilis spreads though unprotected sex, and the new infections are concentrated among men having sex with men, health officials worry that HIV may be spreading at the same time. In fact, the CDC says that half of the men with syphilis are also infected with HIV. The disease typically reveals itself with skin lesions at the point of infection, but as it develops it can attack the central nervous system and internal organs. In fact the characteristic syphilis lesions may make HIV transmission easier, the health news service MedicalXpress warned.

If diagnosed at an early stage, the disease is relatively easily treated with penicillin or other antibiotics, but treatment of advanced

cases is more difficult.

Federal health officials called for more frequent screening for syphilis. Men having sex with anonymous partners may require testing as often as once every three to six months, the CDC said.

Fred Wyand, spokesperson for the American Sexual Health Association, told Reuters news service that people could be deterred from getting tested because of the stigma associated with having an STD. “One of the great barriers to having sexual health conversations is the sense of embarrassment. People need to have frank, open conversations,” he said. “It’s not about sex.

It’s about health.”

In good STD news, the CDC also found that new gonorrhea infections were stable, while new cases of chlamydia declined from 2012 levels.

met this month to discuss changing the existing policy and evaluating the effectiveness of new blood supply tests for HIV infections. In November, an advisory committee to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommended replacing the indefinite ban on Gay donors with the one-year deferral.

The new rules drew some praise, but mostly criticism from AIDS and LGBT rights groups.

“The Elton John AIDS Foundation is pleased that the FDA has taken a first step to lift the antiquated ban prohibiting gay men from donating blood,” the group said.

“This announcement represents a long overdue shift in the public health field’s perception of gay men. While we urge the FDA to fully discard its ban, this step underscores what we have always believed: that all Americans, regardless of sexual orientation, should be allowed to help people in need. It’s part of ending stigma against LGBT Americans, and is simply the right thing to do.”

The ACLU, on the other hand, said that little had been changed.

“The FDA’s proposal must be seen as part of an ongoing process and not an end point,” said Ian Thompson, ACLU Legislative Representative.

“The reality for most gay and bisexual men – including those in committed, monogamous relationships – is that this proposal will continue to function as a de facto lifetime ban. Criteria for determining blood donor eligibility should be based on science, not outdated, discriminatory stereotypes and assumptions.”

Lambda Legal expressed similar sentiments.

“This is a step in the right direction, but blood donation policy should be based on current scientific knowledge and experience,

not unfounded fear, generalizations and stereotypes,” the group said in a statement.

“Merely changing the parameters of this outdated policy does not alter its underlying discriminatory nature, eliminate its negative and stigmatizing effects, nor transform it into a policy based on current scientific and medical knowledge.”

The National LGBTQ Task Force was particularly scathing in its evaluation of the new policy.

“The FDA’s updated policy on gay and bisexual men’s blood donations continues to discriminate as it stops short of fully lifting an antiquated and scientifically unsound ban established in the height of the HIV and AIDS epidemic – when not enough was known about the virus and epidemic,” the Task Force said.

“Despite the FDA’s effort to bring their policy in line with science, the ban continues to single out sexually active gay and bisexual men and further fuels negative LGBTQ stereotypes and stigma associated with HIV and AIDS. We urge the FDA to rethink its decision and completely lift the discriminatory ban that prohibits gay and bisexual men from donating life-saving blood.”

Openly Lesbian Senator Tammy Baldwin called the new FDA rules “a step forward,” but added “I remain concerned that it does not achieve our goal of putting in place a policy that is based on sound science and allows all healthy individuals to donate.”

“The Administration must continue to work towards implementing blood donation policies based on individual risk factors instead of singling out one group of people and turning away healthy, willing donors, even when we face serious blood shortages,” Baldwin added.

Washington’s senior Senator Patty Murray called the announcement “a welcome step in the right direction,” but said she was “disappointed that low-risk gay men are still being discriminated against with this outdated policy.”

“Healthy Americans who don’t engage in risky behavior, regardless of their sexual orientation, should have the opportunity to donate blood and help in the effort to save lives,” Murray stated.

“I look forward to working with [Health and Human Services] Secretary Burwell to build on the step taken today by removing this discriminatory ban while keeping our blood supply safe.”

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December 26, 2014

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer New syphilis cases increased by 10% in 2013, a new CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) report says, with men who have sex with men accounting for more than 75% of the total.

According to the CDC report, the number

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Blood

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Arab LGBT groups condemn Egypt bathhouse raid A number of LGBT organizations in North Africa and the Middle East have issued a joint statement condemning the December 7 police raid on a Gay bathhouse in Cairo. Egyptian police arrested either 26 or 33 men in the raid, according to local sources.

In a statement carried in Western news sources on December 20, the LGBT groups condemned both the police and journalist Mona Iraqi, who, they charge, led police to the bathhouse in order to film the arrest for her TV show “Al Mistakhabi” (The Concealed).

“Mona Iraqi took the media frenzy to a new level as she transformed the job of a presenter to that of an informant, working for the police, reporting to them what she thinks is a crime,” the statement said.

“Those who were arrested did not commit any crime punishable by law,” the groups added. Same-sex relations are not illegal in Egypt, but police often use laws against public indecency to harass Gay people.

LGBT activists have documented the arrests of more than 150 Gay or Transgender individuals in Egypt since June 30, 2013.

“In some cases prison sentences of eight or nine years have been imposed, on legal grounds

that are incorrect or fabricated,” the groups charged. In September, seven Egyptian men were arrested and charged with “debauchery” after they appeared in a video of a Gay wedding.

In addition to condemning the Egyptian government, the groups also demanded that the reporter, Mona Iraqi, be prosecuted for distributing photos of the arrestees and publicly labeling them as Gay. “She has dishonored the profession of journalism,” the groups charged.

“We affirm that it is she who has violated the law and not the men who were arrested…We demand that Mona Iraqi be held legally responsible for abusing her profession to violate these men’s privacy, commit libel and pursue her career without considering the consequences of her actions.”

The statement was originally published in Arabic on the Arab Foundation for Freedoms and Equality website. That group is based in Beirut, Lebanon.

It was signed by the Arab Foundation for Freedoms and Equality, Association Tunisienne des Femmes Démocrates (ATFD) in Tunisia, the Coalition for Sexual and Bodily Rights in Muslim Societies (CSBR), and the Lebanese LGBT rights group Helem.

Meanwhile, Iraqi said in an interview that her report on the bathhouse raid was to

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Kasha Jacqueline Nabagesera

Al-Qahira wal Nas

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

Mona Iraqi

expose “the secret behind the spreading of AIDS in Egypt.”

The Egyptian AIDS Society (EAS) said they will file a lawsuit against Iraqi for misusing an interview she did with the group.

EAS said it was contacted by the TV station where Iraqi works to take part in a special episode on the occasion of World AIDS Day. “We agreed and the society’s director gave an interview answering several questions re-

lated to [HIV/AIDS] awareness,” the group told Al Arabiya news service.

EAS later found out Iraqi’s interview was used for what they called “unethical purposes,” and was aired together with videos of the raid and other interviews that “are totally against the society’s codes.”

“We did not know about the details that were later inserted and the channel manipulated the interview,” the group said.

Bombastic

“Many have told our stories wrongly and we can’t accept the trend to continue. Here are our stories, narrated and shared by ourselves,” added a member of Uganda’s LGBT community identified only as Ambrose.

In October 2010, the Ugandan tabloid Rolling Stone published names and photos – and in some cases addresses and phone numbers – of 100 people it called “Uganda’s Top Homos.” At least four of those listed were subsequently attacked, and many went into hiding for their own safety.

Uganda’s Rolling Stone has no relationship with the American music magazine of the same name.

In 2012, another tabloid, Red Pepper, published graphic photos showing what it claimed was famed soccer manager Chris Mubiru having sex with a player. In February 2014 the tabloid published a story titled “Top Uganda Gay Recruiters Busted,” in which it published photos of supposed Gay men.

Meanwhile, a bill to increase penalties for Gay sex is still pending in Uganda’s parliament, although officials now say it will not be voted on this year. The latest draft of the legislation calls for life in prison for “repeat offender” Gays. Previous versions called for the death penalty.

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dans, and the many who are brave enough to share their personal stories,” editor Kasha Jacqueline Nabagesera wrote.

“I want to thank all those brave Ugandans who have gone out countrywide to distribute the magazine, the many who have worked tirelessly to see the success of this project and to our friends and allies around the world who have contributed in many different ways to make this a success.”

Nabagesera created the magazine to act as the instrument of her Reclaim the Media project. Mainstream Ugandan media have given a platform to homophobia, and supported anti-LGBT politicians, she charged, and LGBT Ugandans must challenge their hold on public opinion.

“By giving voice to homophobia, local media has also contributed largely to violence against LGBTI Ugandans,” she said in a statement.

“We share our lived realities in the hope that they will inspire many people who have been filled with hate from politicians and religious leaders seeking political power and cheap popularity.”

Brits put up obstacles to Trans voters

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Britain’s new voter registration system will bar many Trans people from voting, activists charged, in spite of the country’s 2004 Gender Recognition Act. The new system requires Trans voters to submit their previous names to authorities, or to register in with multiple legal documents many of them lack.

“The ‘majority’ is just blind/arrogant

to the needs of the minority, even though – with a moment’s thought, and NO downside to that majority – some thoughtfulness could be applied which means that some others could receive their basic rights…” one Trans person who failed to register told the British Gay Star News.

“Trans people face this shit all the time,” they continued.

The new registration system, rolled out in October, gives British voters two options – online or in person registration.

If someone opts for online registration, they will be asked to state their residence, their nationality, and their place of birth.

So far, so good. They are then asked to enter their name, and to state if they have ever changed their name.

There are three possible answers to that question – never, within the last year, or more than a year ago.

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The first answer allows the would-be voter to move on to the next screen. The second and third responses lead to a request for the previous name.

Individuals who attempt to move past this screen without providing a previous name are blocked.

Trans people are therefore required to submit their pre-transition names with no explanation of who will have access to this information or how it will be stored. Some say the system puts them at risk of outing themselves by entering their private information into a potentially public document.

The option of registering in person is no better for Trans people, however, because it requires potential voters to submit a range of paper proofs of identity including passports, birth certificates, bank statements, and bills.

Not only is this method cumbersome,

but many Trans people who are still in the process of transition may be unable to comply with all of the requirements.

Gay Star News worried that “This approach to identity is likely to result in a number of Trans individuals not registering to vote in next May’s General Election.”

Britain’s Cabinet Office, which administers voter registration, has consulted with Britain’s Trans community in the past over issues of online identity. But this time, they refused to answer questions from the news media and merely issued a statement saying they had no intention of changing the system.

“The aim of asking for information about changes to name is to ensure that in as many cases as possible applications for voter registration are verified automatically without the need for anyone to handle documents,” a Cabinet Office spokesperson said.

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Florida

continued from cover Armando Ramirez said Ashton’s decision took the pressure off him.

“Then I think because of that, there is no reason not to proceed issuing marriage licenses one minute after midnight January 6,” Ramirez said.

Hinckle’s August 21 decision is still on appeal before the Eleventh Circuit, but both the circuit court and the Supreme Court have declined to stay marriage in the state, indicating that both courts believe the state’s appeal will likely fail. courtesy of

for Lesbian Rights today issued a joint memo to all 67 Florida county clerks advising them that “Florida county court clerks should follow Judge Hinkle’s ruling and issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples beginning January 6, 2015.”

The advice provided to the Clerks Association in legal memoranda from a private law firm is incorrect in key respects, Equality Florida said, and “clerks who follow Judge Hinkle’s ruling could not be held criminally liable for doing so because they would not have the required specific criminal intent,” even if the law prohibiting them from issuing same-sex licenses remains on the books.

Meanwhile Florida State Attorney Jeff Ashton said on December 23 that he will not prosecute court clerks if they issue marriage licenses to Gay and Lesbian couples on January 6 or after. That announcement seemed to remove the last major obstacle to samesex couples getting married in the state.

However, a spokesperson for Orange County Clerk Tiffany Moore Russell said that Ashton’s decision has not changed her position. She still has no plans to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, the spokesperson said.

On the other hand, Osceola County Clerk

U.S. District Judge Robert Hinckle

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