Equally Speaking
Good morning, and thanks for tuning in to Equally Speaking, your morning dose of GLBT news from the Human Rights Campaign for Thursday, March 27th. I’m Tommy Lodge.
And I’m Sarah Birnie. First up, news about civil unions and taxes.
A same-sex Connecticut couple was shocked to discover they couldn’t file their taxes using the H and R Block website. The couple is registered under the state’s civil union law, but H and R Block can only process civil union returns in one of its offices, which costs more than filing on-line. The ACLU has sent the company a letter asking them to immediately stop discriminating against taxpayers in civil unions.
A new poll shows Vermonters are increasingly open to the idea of expanding marriage rights beyond civil unions, which are legal in the state. 54 percent of those polled said they support legal marriage for same-sex couples. These results come a month before a Vermont legislative commission will release a report on whether citizens feel the state is ready to give same-sex couples the right to marry.
A hearing will be held today on an anti-bullying bill being considered by the Georgia state legislature. The bill would require school districts to have comprehensive anti-bullying plans for grades K through 12, and expands the definition of bullying to cover emotional and academic harm. Studies show GLBT youth are often the target of bullying in schools because of their sexual orientation.
Bravo TV’s hit cooking competition show Top Chef features its first couple this season, lesbians Jen and Zoi from San Francisco. The two, who have been together for four years, are competing against each other and thirteen other chefs. The previous three seasons have all been won by men, with only one woman ever making it to the final two.
The odds of substance abuse by GLBT youth is 190 percent higher than for straight youth, according to a study by the University of Pittsburgh. Researchers attribute the increased risk to the discrimination and victimization gay teenagers often experience. Little research has been done on the long-term patterns or consequences of drug use in the GLBT youth population.
Quebec is enacting education reform that will eliminate specific class time for sex education. Instead, teachers are asked to holistically incorporate sex ed into all other classes, from math to gym. This makes Quebec the only Canadian province to not specifically mandate some form of sexual health education.
That’s the news from us today. Thanks for tuning in to Equally Speaking.
Have a great day, and we’ll see you back here again tomorrow morning.