ACLU Hires Civil Rights Lawyer for LGBT Rights/AIDS
in Midwest
An accomplished attorney with more than a decade of experience advocating on behalf of individuals fighting discrimination has joined the American Civil Liberties Union's national and affiliate offices as part of the organization's efforts to advance equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons and people with HIV/AIDS, the ACLU announced Monday.
John A. Knight, formerly a trial attorney for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, began his position this week as Director of the ACLU of Illinois' Lesbian and Gay Rights/AIDS Project. Knight also will serve as a Midwest regional attorney for the National ACLU's Lesbian and Gay Rights and AIDS Projects. In this position, Knight will work with the national office of the ACLU to assist ACLU affiliates across the Midwest region in confronting bias and discrimination in those states.
'We are fortunate that a seasoned civil rights litigator like John Knight is bringing his experience, commitment and expertise to the effort to ensure equality for all persons here in Illinois and across the Midwest,' said Harvey Grossman, Legal Director for the ACLU of Illinois.
Knight, a graduate of the University of Chicago Law School, comes to the ACLU after five years at the EEOC. During his tenure there, Knight was involved in a number of significant cases involving harassment and discrimination in the workplace. Prior to his work at EEOC, Knight was Director of the Homeless Assistance Project at the Edwin F. Mandel Legal Aid Clinic at the University of Chicago Law School.
Dean Foods Refuses to Recognize Gay Marriage License
Lee Neubecker and David Greer returned from San Francisco with a marriage license that they believe should entitle Greer, an employee at Dean, to spousal benefits given to heterosexual married couples.
But the couple say the company is refusing to recognize the license issued by San Francisco authorities. Marriages in that city have been halted by court order while the state's court's rule on their legality.
Hundreds of couples are returning to their home states after being married in San Francisco, Portland, and other towns, and some will test civil codes and private company policies to see how far the marriage licenses will apply.
'The company said that they only provide health insurance to legally married couples, implying that our marriage is illegal,' Neubecker said. 'Given the courts of California have refused to declare our marriage license illegal, we think that Dean Foods has put themselves in a vulnerable situation.'
Neubecker added that it is 'interesting that they have a policy of nondiscrimination that directly conflicts with their response to us for health insurance.'
The company's Web site states: 'Our policy is to provide recruitment, hiring, training, compensation, transfer, promotion, termination and all other conditions of employment for all persons based on merit, qualifications and competency without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, national origin or ancestry, disability, medical condition, marital status, veteran status or any status protected by law and not listed here. Fulfillment of our commitment to equal employment opportunity requires action by all employees throughout our company. We all have a responsibility to promote equal employment opportunities.'
Eleanor Smeal Speaks on Feminism Panel
Hosted by The Public Square, Eleanor Smeal, the Feminist Majority Foundation President, pivotal policy maker, and one of the main organizers for the upcoming March for Women's Lives in Washington, D.C., comes to Chicago as the keynote guest for a debate on the future of feminism called We've Come a Long Way, but Where are We Headed? The Legacy and Future of Feminism.
Smeal will be joined by Beth Richie, head of African American Studies at UIC; Mary Morten, the first African American to serve as the mayor's liaison to the gay community and the past president of the Chicago Foundation for Women; and Lisa Jervis, creator and editor of Bitch Magazine.
The program takes place on Thursday, April 1, at the Harold Washington Library, 400 S. State Street, 6 p.m. Admission is free. Reservations are encouraged. For information, call Public Square at (312) 993-0682.
The feminist and womanist movements, in all of their variations and complexities, have transformed the lives of American women and men over the past century. There is still much controversy about the legacy of those movements, and perhaps more importantly, there are looming questions about the future agenda of feminism, politically and personally. These questions, related to the lives of women of color, white women, lesbian/ gay and transgendered people, men, and the current generation of young women and girls will be tackled in this debate.
Forum Asks: Should the LGBTQ Community Fight for Same-Sex Marriage?
A forum is set for Saturday, March 27, to ask the question, 'Should the LGBTQ Community Fight for Same-Sex Marriage?' it starts at 6:30 p.m., New World Resource Center, 1300 N. Western.
Speakers are: Darrell Gordon (A-Zone, CACTUS, Queer to the Left); Andy Thayer (CABN, Equality Now, CCAWR); Jennie Mutation (transgender activist/artist, co-founded Unbound Books); and Robert Castillo (queer activist, serves on the Advisory Council on Gay & Lesbian Issues).
The event is sponsored by QUEERZONE. Call (773) 227-4011.
Ryan White Funds Increased by $1 Million
The Department of Health and Human Services has announced that the Chicago metropolitan area and the Chicago Department of Public Health will receive a nearly 10 percent increase the region's Ryan White CARE Act Title I award.
The Chicago Area will receive a $2.2 million increase over FY 2003, bringing this year's Ryan White Title I total to $25,426,760. The award is based partly on a formula-derived increase and partly due to the compelling case CDPH made for increased funding.
This comes however as the federal Department of Health and Human Services announced a decrease to the total national FY 2004 Ryan White CARE Act award. This has resulted in dozens of cities across the nation facing devastating reductions to their federal AIDS funding that may result in a decrease of critical services for people living with HIV for other cities across the county.
'With declining AIDS deaths and new HIV infections continuing to occur, there are now more Chicagoans than ever living with HIV/AIDS,' said Christopher Brown, CDPH Assistant Commissioner for HIV/AIDS/STD. 'Resources to meet their needs are stretched to the limit. We are grateful to the federal Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) for recognizing our need and agreeing that Chicago has a strong plan of action to deliver HIV/AIDS-related services.'
Within Chicago's Title I increase, the largest proportional hike will come in Minority AIDS Initiative funds, up 16.4 percent to $2,261,742.
Title I dollars are utilized to provide a wide range of HIV/AIDS healthcare and support services for people who have no health insurance or whose health insurance does not meet their HIV/AIDS-related needs.
TPAN to Host
Spring Fundraiser
Test Positive Aware Network will host Celebrations of Spring Thursday April 1, 2004 at the Belloc Lowndes Gallery, 835 W. Washington Blvd., from 6-9 p.m. Guests will sample a variety of wines perfect for Spring with focus on wines from California and New Zealand. To compliment the wines, Fritz and Zoe Distinctive Events will prepare foods for guests to sample and enjoy.
Celebrations of Spring will raise funds for TPAN programs and services. The money will help expand HIV treatment education programs and HIV prevention programs and help to increase distribution of Positively Aware to individuals in need of information.
While sampling wines and food, guests will enjoy the opening of 'Prairies and Pastures,' landscapes in oil and pastels by Kathleen Dunn. A portion of any artwork sold that evening will be donated to TPAN.
Tickets are $45 in advance or $55 at the door. Contact Jeffrey Allen at (773) 989-9400, www.tpan.com .
LGBT Suicide Forum
Suicide & LGBT Mental Health in Chicago: A Community Discussion will be held April 7.
Join mental health professionals and gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community members in a program to address the reality of suicide and mental illness in Chicago's GLBT community.
The program includes a presentation by Peter M. Gutierrez, Ph.D., assistant chairperson of Northern Illinois University's Department of Psychology, and a panel discussion. Following a question and answer session, there will be time for strategic planning to address the concerns raised.
The event is Wednesday, April 7, 7-8:30 p.m., Howard Brown Health Center, 4025 N. Sheridan, free. Please RSVP to Stan@afspmidwest.org .
Sponsored by: AIDS Foundation of Chicago; American Foundation For Suicide Prevention/Midwest Chapter; Horizons Community Services/Center on Halsted; HBHC; and Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network/Chicago Chapter.
