NSDC Statement on AB 211's Passage

NSDC STATEMENT ON AB 211 PASSAGE 

Contact: 

Andrew Davey, Secretary & Political Director 

(702) 806-1340/ atdnext@gmail.com 

Chris Miller, President 

(702) 569-6744/ chrisisademocrat@gmail.com 

We at Nevada Stonewall Democratic Caucus (NSDC) were encouraged today by 

the passage of AB 211 in the Nevada State Senate today.  If this bill is signed into 

law by Governor Sandoval, it will represent significant progress in the fight for 

LGBTQ equality here in Nevada. AB 211 is the fully inclusive ENDA (Employment 

Non-discrimination Act) that rejects the notion of “legalized” workplace 

discrimination against transgender Nevadans. 

As of now, far too many workers have lost their jobs for no good reason. And as 

we in Nevada are still enduring the pain of a difficult recession and the beginning 

of a fragile economic recovery, we can not afford this kind of chronic, forced 

unemployment. Workplace nondiscrimination truly is a jobs issue, and AB 211 

goes a great distance to better ensure all Nevadans who seek honest work can 

obtain it. 

As the 76th Session of the Nevada Legislature continues, NSDC will continue to 

watch what happens in Carson City, advocate for bills that advance LGBTQ 

equality, and work for a fair & sensible budget that works for all of Nevada’s 

working families. And with The Legislature’s passage of AB 211 today, we are 

confident about continued progress on ending unjust discrimination, advancing 

civil rights, and ensuring all in our community can access quality education & 

health care. 

###

Nevada Stonewall Democratic Caucus was founded in 2005. Our membership consists of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Nevadans and our straight allies. We will lobby and educate members of the Nevada State Legislature to protect the rights and advocate on behalf of Nevadans who are routinely discriminated against because of their sexuality and gender identity. 

@NVStonewallDems 

nvstonewalldems@gmail.com

Nevada Stonewall Statement on Today's Senate Votes

NSDC STATEMENT ON SB 180 FAILURE,

AND SB 331 & SB 368 PASSAGE

Contact: 

Andrew Davey, Secretary & Political Director

(702) 806-1340/ atdnext@gmail.com

Chris Miller, President

(702) 569-6744/ chrisisademocrat@gmail.com 

We at Nevada Stonewall Democratic Caucus (NSDC) were encouraged today by the passage of SB 331 and SB 368 in the Nevada State Senate today.  If these bills become law, they will represent significant progress in the fight for LGBTQ equality here in Nevada. SB 331 addresses and moves to remedy public accommodations discrimination against transgender Nevadans, and SB 368 addresses housing discrimination that is still allowed against any LGBTQ Nevadans.

However, we were disappointed by the painfully narrow failure of SB 180 today. If passed, this bill would have penalized dangerous and abhorrent hate crimes against transgender Nevadans. No one deserves to be violently attacked for who one is, but this regularly happens to far too many transgender Nevadans. And until our state hate crimes statute is revised to include anti-transgender hate crimes, far too many people in this state will still be vulnerable to such unjust brutal attacks.

As the 76th Session of the Nevada Legislature continues, NSDC will continue to watch what happens in Carson City, advocate for bills that advance LGBTQ equality, and work for a fair & sensible budget that works for all of Nevada’s working families. And despite today’s disappointing loss on SB 180, we are hopeful that Senate passage of SB 331 and SB 368 are the start of further progress on ending discrimination, advancing civil rights, and ensuring all in our community can access quality education & health care.

###

Nevada Stonewall Democratic Caucus was founded in 2005. Our membership consists of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Nevadans and our straight allies. We will lobby and educate members of the Nevada State Legislature to protect the rights and advocate on behalf of Nevadans who are routinely discriminated against because of their sexuality and gender identity. 

@NVStonewallDems 

nvstonewalldems@gmail.com

Good Day for Equality: AB 211 Passed Assembly

(Also at Nevada Progressive)

Here's some actual good news to come out of Carson City today: AB 211 passed!

OK... So? So... This.



As of today, it's still "legal" to fire transgender people from work for no good reason. AB 211 will change that if passed and signed into law. We're now about 1/3 of the way there with Assembly passage, so now we need full Senate passage, then preferably a signature from The Governor. (If Sandoval vetoes, then we need at least 2/3 support from each house of The Legislature to override.)

So now is the perfect time to contact your State Senator and let them know you want AB 211 passed.

Why Don't These Local Candidates Value Our Local LGBTQ Families?

SDCSN & NSDC ASK: WHY DON’T THESE LOCAL 

CANDIDATES VALUE OUR LOCAL LGBTQ FAMILIES?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 31, 2011

Contact: 

Chris Miller: President, Nevada Stonewall Democratic Caucus 

(702) 569-6744/ chrisisademocrat@gmail.com 

Derek Washington: Chair, Stonewall Democratic Club of Southern Nevada 

(702) 576-4978/ derekisademocrat@gmail.com 

Andrew Davey: Political Director, Stonewall Democratic Club of Southern Nevada

Secretary & Political Director, Nevada Stonewall Democratic Caucus 

(702) 806-1340/ atdnext@gmail.com

As we at Stonewall read through Nevada Concerned Citizens’ (NCC) candidate questionnaire, we were saddened to discover that even more Southern Nevada municipal candidates agree with radical, anti-equality, serial campaigner Richard Ziser that Nevada’s LGBTQ families deserve no civil rights. Just to be clear, the candidates supporting Item #6 are saying LGBTQ families deserve no legal recognition and no human dignity. The candidates opposing Items #7 and #12 want our schools to do nothing as LGBTQ kids to be bullied to death, often literally. Basically, the candidates who are standing with Richard Ziser agree to carry out his agenda to attack many thousands of Southern Nevada families just for who they are.

In Henderson, Republican City Council candidates John Simmons (Ward 2), Ron Hubel (Ward 4), and Mike Mayberry (Ward 4) all support Item #6 and oppose Items #7 and #12. In addition, candidate Ed Hamilton (Ward 1) opposes Items #7 and #12, and would not commit to an answer on Item #6. Do not be fooled by what these candidates say about “valuing Henderson families”.  These candidates’ answers to Richard Ziser indicate that they do not value many thousands of Henderson families, as they seek to take away our domestic partner rights and encourage bullying against innocent children in school. Mike Mayberry is especially of concern, as he is the one Henderson candidate to actually earn Nevada Concerned Citizens’ endorsement. This means that Mayberry essentially endorses the same brand of extreme anti-LGBTQ bigotry that defines NCC, and that he does not share the same true family values as most Henderson voters.

And if that were not troubling enough, North Las Vegas Republican City Council candidates Carl Gatson (Ward 2) and Wade Wagner (Ward 4) also support Item #6 and oppose Items #7 and #12. Again, this means Gatson and Wagner stand with the NCC extremists in taking away LGBTQ families’ domestic partner rights and encouraging bullying against innocent children. Apparently, this was also sufficient for Gatson and Wager to earn NCC’s endorsement. North Las Vegas families certainly deserve better than this.

Families throughout Nevada truly deserve better than this. Our families have suffered alongside everyone else in this state during this recent recession, and local governments are better served focusing on economic recovery than legislating hatred and bigotry. For Henderson City Council candidate Mike Mayberry and North Las Vegas City Council candidates Carl Gatson and Wade Wagner to seek, and then earn, NCC’s endorsement, they had to demonstrate that they care more about promoting hate than encouraging sound economic development. All of the other municipal candidates in Las Vegas, Henderson, North Las Vegas, and elsewhere who wasted time answering NCC’s questionnaire and supporting their extreme positions also demonstrated a troubling lack of judgment.

We at Stonewall believe equality under the law is not a Democratic, Republican, or Independent issue. Rather, it is an American and Nevadan issue of justice. We are disgusted to see Nevada Concerned Citizens again push local candidates to pledge to waste local government resources on bigotry, and we are equally disgusted and disappointed by all the local candidates who took NCC’s bait.

OFA's LGBTQ Equality Community Action Night

On Wednesday, NSDC President Chris Miller joined Southern Nevada Stonewall Chair Derek Washington, along with other local LGBTQ community activists and OFA activists, at OFA's weekly "Community Action Night". This week, it was all about LGBTQ equality. Here's Chris discussing pro-equality legislation pending in Carson City.



Of course, we'll keep you updated as the 76th session continues.

Bye Bye DOMA?

(Originally from Nevada Progressive)



Apparently, some good things have been happening since Tuesday. Legislation to repeal DOMA has been introduced, and now there's a chance it might actually pass the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Now in case you were wondering why this is so important, take a look below.

The so-called Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, purports to give states the "right" to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states. A number of authorities, including Laurence Tribe, a Harvard University law professor, have challenged the constitutionality of such a move. The full faith and credit clause of the U.S. Constitution requires states to recognize the "acts, records and proceedings" of all other states. For example, marriages performed today in Mississippi are considered valid in Wisconsin, Oregon, Arizona and every other state. Under this law, same-sex marriages that are legal in one state may or may not be legal in another state.

DOMA also creates a federal definition of "marriage" and "spouse" for the first time in our country's history. This is an unprecedented intrusion by the U.S. Congress into an area traditionally left to the states. Marriage is defined as a "legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife," and spouse is defined as "a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife." Marriages that do not fit this description would not be eligible for any benefits offered by the federal government. Under DOMA, even if a state were to recognize same-sex marriages, the federal government would not. The people involved would be unable to receive a number of benefits, including those related to Social Security, survivorship and inheritance.

Basically, Congress mandated federal agencies in 1996 to treat LGBTQ families as second-class citizens. This blatant and disgusting discrimination must end. And for the first time ever, there's real momentum to make it happen.

According to HRC's new poll, a full 51% of Americans oppose DOMA, while only 34% still support it. So why does House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) still want to waste our tax dollars defending it in court, as well as waste everyone's time whining about this rather than doing anything on job creation?

This is why this legislation matters. As I've said before, it's about time we do some offense after being beaten to death with no real defense. We need to keep reminding our members of Congress to do what's right for all our families instead of using our community as political footballs for any longer.

Andrew's Testimony for SB 180

(Also at Nevada Progressive)

Earlier this week, I testified to The Legislature, in this case The Senate Judiciary Committee, in support of SB 180.

So what exactly is SB 180? Click the above link, then come back to this page to read my testimony below, then please contact your legislators and ask them to support SB 180. Thanks.

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When a violent crime is committed, it may seem like a no-brainer to call the police. But when the victim is transgender, the situation all too often becomes much more complicated. The victim might be treated as the criminal, or the victim's case is not taken seriously, or perhaps the victim is too afraid to even report the crime.

This is why SB 180 is needed, and this is why SB 180 should not considered some sort of "special treatment". Rather, it levels the playing field and ensures that everyone in our state is treated equally. Many local law enforcement have had past problems handling crimes against transgender victims, and perpetrators have used excuses like "gay panic defense" to seek leniency from the courts, so there is critical need for state guidance to ensure transgender people are no longer easy targets for violent crime.

Human Rights Campaign has recently analyzed FBI crime statistics and estimated that one of every 1,000 homicide victims in this country is transgender. At least 15 transgender people are killed in hate crimes each year in this country. Just in 2002 alone, 27 known transgender people were killed in hate motivated murders. Remember that these are not just statistics, but real people as well.

I know people who have survived attacks, and I have close friends who have lost friends to violence. This is certainly no laughing matter. The passage of SB 180 may very well mean the difference between life and death, so I urge you to pass SB 180 and help save many Nevadans' lives.