North Carolina votes tomorrow on anti-marriage equality Amendment 1, transgender workers protected under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act; and other recent LGBTQ news selected by Sara Boesser in Juneau, Alaska (with supplemental info from Bent Alaska).

North Carolina’s Amendment 1

Tuesday, May 8, North Carolina voters in the state’s Republican and Democratic primaries will also also vote on Amendment 1,  which states that “Marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized.” Its effect would be to place a ban same-sex marriage (already prohibited by state law) in the North Carolina Constitution, but would also ban civil unions or any other form of “domestic legal union” for gay and straight couples alike. If passed, Amendment 1 would also strip away health care from children of couples currently in domestic unions, among other effects.

NC NAACP goes on air to oppose marriage amendment; pro-amendment group challenging other ads
North Carolina, Daily Journal, April 27, 2012

The [North Carolina] chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People said Thursday it’s started running radio spots across North Carolina as part of a multimedia effort to defeat the [anti-marriage equality] amendment.

Bill Clinton Comes Out Against Amendment 1
North Carolina, Advocate, May 5, 2012

Former president Bill Clinton has come out against North Carolina’s Amendment One, which would constitutionally bar marriage rights and all other forms of relationship recognition for same-sex couples if voters approve the measure Tuesday.

Billy Graham Takes Out Full-Page Ad for Amendment One
North Carolina, Advocate, May 3, 2012

The famed pastor spent most of his life avoiding divisive politics but is in a full-page, antigay ad in 14 newspapers.

Wife of Amendment One Architect Makes it A Racial Issue
North Carolina, Advocate, May 2, 2012

The wife of a North Carolina state senator said the proposed amendment to ban marriage equality across the state is necessary to “preserve the caucasian race.”

A chorus of voices have arisen over the past few months to warn North Carolinians of the harms of Amendment One. Many of those voices can be heard in this video by the Coalition to Protect North Carolina Families. Watch:

Transgender workers now covered by federal nondiscrimination law

Federal agency says transgender people protected
Washington, Associated Press, April 25, 2012

In a groundbreaking decision late last week, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said a refusal to hire or otherwise discriminate on the basis of gender identity is by definition sex discrimination under federal law.

This story was also covered in an Anchorage story relating the EEOC decision with the apparent loss of Proposition 5, the Anchorage Equal Rights Initiative, in Anchorage’s bollixed April 3 election.  The story includes interviews with ACLU of Alaska attorney Tom Stenson and Bent Alaska editor Melissa S. Green:

• “Transgender Workers Now Covered by Federal Discrimination Law: Protections part of 1964 Civil Rights Act” by Lauren Maxwell (KTVA Channel 11 News)

Other news

‘Social Security Equality Act of 2012’ introduced, aims to end discrimination same-sex couples face in receiving Social Security benefits
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, April 26, 2012

The “Social Security Equality Act of 2012,” which seeks to end the discrimination same-sex couples face with respect to Social Security benefits, was introduced by U.S. Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.) and includes 90 House co-sponsors.

Feds honor 66-year-old East Flatbush transgender woman
New York, New York Daily News, April 25, 2012

East Flatbush resident Victoria Cruz, a transgender woman who has been “out” since grade school, is a Justice Department 2012 pick as one of the nation’s top crime fighters.

The 66-year-old Latina, known simply as “Vicki,” advises abuse victims from across the city based on lessons she learned surviving years of sexual and physical torment during an era when homophobia was rampant.

Gay Son of Ex-Klansman Runs for Office in Kansas
Kansas, Advocate, April 26, 2012

Erich Bishop, 28…will run in the Democratic primary against state representative Jan Pauls of Hutchinson, who despite her party affiliation “has been as right-wing as any of her Republican colleagues on social issues”…. She recently has backed a bill that would allow state residents to opt out of laws that conflict with their religious beliefs, such as laws prohibiting anti-LGBT discrimination.

Court orders former B.C. lesbian couple to divide left-over sperm
Vancouver, B.C., Vancouver Sun, April 26, 2012

A lesbian couple from British Columbia divided all their assets when they broke up in 2006 but forgot about 13 tubes of sperm that were being stored in a sperm bank.

The sperm came from the same male donor, and was used for each of the women to have a baby — the first in 2000, and the second in 2002.

Lady Gaga Enters a Korean War with Christian fundamentalists
South Korea, Advocate, April 25, 2012

Lady Gaga is taking her Born This Way Ball to South Korea and some religious folks aren’t giving her the warmest of welcomes.

Combating Homophobia in Medicine
Advocate, April 27, 2012

Health care professionals are becoming increasingly attuned to the needs and concerns of LGBT patients. But The New York Times ponders: What about support for LGBT doctors and nurses?

Anna Paquin: Still Explaining The Concept of Bisexuality
Advocate, May 3, 2012

True Blood actress and Oscar winner Anna Paquin came out as bisexual last year in a spot for the Give A Damn campaign, right before her wedding to co-star Stephen Moyer. Though Paquin has been nothing but forthcoming about her sexual orientation, her announcement still has some scratching their heads.

Scales of Justice Tilt In Favor of Robert Champion Jr.
Washington, D.C., National Black Justice Coalition, May 2, 2012

This afternoon, prosecutors announced that eleven individuals have been charged with hazing resulting death, a third-degree felony, in the homicide of gay drum major, Robert Champion Jr…. Last November, Champion, 26, was found unresponsive aboard a band bus after the school’s biggest game of the year. Police ruled the death a homicide from hazing. Witnesses told the parents that Champion might have been hazed more severely because of his orientation.

New Legal Fronts in Marriage Fight
Nevada, Gay City News, April 11, 2012

For the first time, the federal courts will directly confront the question of whether a state that grants same-sex couples “the same rights, protections, and benefits” and “the same responsibilities, obligations, and duties” as marriage — as Nevada’s 2009 comprehensive domestic partnership law does — can deny them full marriage equality.

Missouri Republican lawmaker announces he is gay
Kansas City, Missouri, Reuters, May 2, 2012

Missouri state Representative Zachary Wyatt, 27, announced his sexual orientation in a news conference at the Missouri state Capitol in Jefferson City. Wyatt said later in an interview that he did so because he wanted to openly oppose a proposal to ban discussion of sexual orientation in Missouri public schools.