LEGALLY SPEAKING
A LITTLE HOMEWORK FOR YOUR SUMMER BREAK BY CHRISTOPHER HERITAGE What does your summer look like? Kicking back in the pool, floating in the sun with a chilled drink in your hand? Heading up the hill to find a cooler place to hang out? Maybe house-hunting now that season is over, in hopes of finding that perfect place to call home next Fall? Summer means we’re hot and we’re lazy, but we should never pass up an opportunity to learn, and to think about things that can affect our lives. With the legal and political picture changing almost daily, here are a couple of important issues to look into - one to help you stay up with the times, and the other to help protect yourself: LGBTQ Rights Are Under Siege In many areas, politicians and anti-LGBTQ groups are furiously chipping away at some of the many civil rights we have fought so hard to gain in the past decades. And they are taking action to prevent us from gaining more rights. Here are some of the bills currently under consideration in states across the country: Anti-Transgender Bills, which promote or allow discrimination against trans people. These include restrictions on use of singlesex restrooms; authorizing health care discrimination; restricting transgender students’ full participation in school; allowing religion as a reason to discriminate; and making it more difficult to get proper gender-identification paperwork. Religious Exemption Bills which allow people to discriminate against others based on their religious beliefs. Some allow lawsuits challenging government policy. Others would allow anyone, including government employees and for-profit businesses to discriminate against marriage for same-sex couples, sexual activity outside heterosexual marriage, and transgender people. Some would allow professionals who otherwise are held to high standards of service to human beings to refuse to serve people based on their religious beliefs. Bills, which prohibit cities and other local governments from enacting broader nondiscrimination laws than those offered by the state. These include capping protections for LGBT people.
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There are already numerous cases being heard in federal courts that could change the LGBTQ civil rights picture for better or worse. A religious rights case now before the U.S. Supreme Court could make it possible for businesses to refuse service to people based on the religious beliefs of the owner. If decided in favor of business owners, LGBTQ people could be denied equal rights in the marketplace and our community would become second-class citizens, once again. A final decision is expected in the next month or two. Take a few minutes this summer to consider how you can help in our endless journey to full equality as citizens and as human beings. Our community circles the world, and action and support are needed everywhere. You could write letters to editors, sign petitions or donate to the various groups that are working to promote our civil rights. And if nothing else, you can stay atop of the legal and political issues that affect us, and pass the word along to a friend who can help. And on a totally different subject: You Found That Perfect House - Now What? One of the most common questions I get from prospective clients is “How should I title the house I am buying? With all the action around house-hunting and negotiating price, it’s easy to forget that the escrow company is going to ask, “How do you want to take title?” It’s a decision you must make before escrow can close, and it’s not always easy to know what is best for you. Are you a single person? Are you married? Or do you have a life partner or relative who will be buying the house with you? If you are single, you will normally title the house in your name as a single person, or in the name of your Trust, if you have one. When one or more other people will also be on title, there are some choices to be made, and there could be legal issues down the road if you don’t choose the best option: Joint Tenancy - if you are married or registered domestic partners, this is a most common way to hold title. Each spouse has equal