N.Y.'s Cuomo enacts trans protections
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced he would expand existing anti-discrimination statutes to include transgender persons, The Observer reported.
The Democratic governor officially announced at the annual dinner of LGBT-rights group Empire State Pride Agenda that his office would now interpret a state law protecting people from the denial of certain services to also include gender identity.
During his speech, Cuomo noted that transgender people are more likely to be the victims of violence and harassment than other sexual minorities.
In a statement, Lambda Legal Transgender Rights Project Director M. Dru Levasseur said, "This is a very welcome stepthese rules will provide guidance and help alleviate some of the very real problems transgender New Yorkers experience.
"We thank the Cuomo Administration for working so hard to make this step happen. There has been a long-standing gap in spelling out explicit protections that bar discrimination on the basis of gender identity.
The article is at observer.com/2015/10/andrew-cuomo-bans-transgender-discrimination-and-burnishes-liberal-cred/ .
Conversion-therapy report released
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration ( SAMHSA ) has released a report calling for an end to conversion therapy for LGBT youth, Reuters noted.
The practice aims to change a person's sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, but the Obama Administration called for an end to the therapy a year ago.
"Conversion therapies or other efforts to change sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression are not effective, reinforce harmful gender stereotypes and are not appropriate mental health treatments," said SAMHSA Special Expert on LGBT Affairs Elliot Kennedy.
In a statement, National Center for Lesbian Rights #BornPerfect Campaign Coordinator and Staff Attorney Samantha Ames said, "We could not be more grateful to SAMHSA, HHS, and the entire Obama Administration for producing such an in-depth and lifesaving report, and to the APA for inviting us to the table with such high caliber experts to observe the process."
"This important report makes it clear that conversion therapy is not appropriate for dealing with sexual orientation or gender identities in children and youth," said Judith M. Glassgold, Psy.D., the American Psychological Association's associate executive director for public interest government relations, in a separate press release. "It provides guidance to clinicians on current science and best practices for this vulnerable population."
The report is at http://store.samhsa.gov/product/SMA15-4928.
Visit www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/15/us-health-lgbt-conversion-idUSKCN0S912520151015 .
Point Foundation seeks new applicants
LGBTQ students seeking financial assistance for their undergraduate or graduate school education are encouraged to apply for a Point Foundation Scholarship.
Point Foundation ( Point ) is the nation's largest scholarship-granting organization for LGBTQ students of merit and currently provides financial assistance and programmatic support to 85 students. Students enrolling in undergraduate or graduate programs for the 2016-2017 academic year are eligible to apply for Point's multiyear scholarship.
Applications open online at www.pointfoundation.org/apply on Nov. 1.
Students may submit Part I of the application until 11:59 p.m. PST Jan. 19, 2016. Qualified applicants will be invited to submit Part II of the application, which will open from Nov. 2, 2015, until 11:59 p.m. PST Feb. 1, 2016.
Campaign online for Wells sculpture
The Ida B. Wells Commemorative Art Committee has launched an online fundraising campaign for a monument to honor the life and work of Ida B. Wells ( 1862-1931 ). The campaign runs through October.
The goal is to raise $100,000 to begin the creation of a monumental interpretative sculpture by world-renowned sculptor Richard Hunt.
A decade after Wells died, the Chicago Housing Authority named a now-defunct public housing development after her in 1941 as a result of strong community pressure. Persons interested in the campaign can visit igg.me/at/idabwellsmonument.