Millions of Americans (in certain U.S. states) can still be fired simply for being gay or transgender.

The relatively new and very direct-action group GetEQUAL took to the usually non-politically orientated city of Nevada to protest Senator Harry Reid (Democrat and Senate Majority Leader). Reid had promised on a few prior occasions to bring the Employment Non Discrimination Act to a vote in the Senate, but has since not come through with his promise. Now, to be sure, Reid is a very progressive politician and a friend to the queer community. So, for him to be so publicly protested says something. With U.S. mid-term elections coming up in November and a possible change in the makeup of both House and Senate, GetEQUAL is concerned. With a visible lack in leadership (or serious lobbying effort)  from some of the big U.S. national queer groups, they feel direct action is required to bring awareness to the issue and essentially to ask that the politicians keep their promises. Again, this is for basic civil liberties (ie. no one can fire them just for being queer). Astounding. Here is a map of the current laws with respect to sexual orientation and gender identity in the U.S.

Quebec outlawed discrimination based on sexual orientation in 1977 in both public and private affairs becoming the first jurisdiction (larger than a city or county) in the world to do so. The same year the Canadian Immigration Act was amended to remove the ban on "homosexual men" as immigrants. When our Constitution was repatriated in 1982 the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms was added. While it did not explicitly list sexual orientation under the equality clause (Section 15) it was meant to allow the Courts to decide the grounds with which to include (wouldn't it have been easier to just add those 18 letters then?) And in 1995, the Supreme Court of Canada finally did rule that "sexual orientation" should be read into Section 15 (duh?).

The U.S. has seriously fallen behind the world in regards to providing all its citizens with basic civil liberties. Argentina has also recently added itself to the growing list of countries which allow both lesbians and gays to enter into government recognized marriages. For a list of global progress on the marriage front:

From an artcile in the NY POST:

Brooklyn Assemblyman Dov Hikind doesn't want gays, political prisoners, gypsies, the handicapped — or any other group of people persecuted and killed by the hundreds of thousands during the Holocaust — to be recognized at the city-owned Holocaust Memorial Park in Sheepshead Bay. Even though 5 million non-Jews were killed by the Nazis alongside the 6 million Jews, Hikind says that "to include these other groups diminishes their memory." Hikind's mother, who survived the prison camp at Auschwitz, was with him when he made his announcement. "These people are not in the same category as Jewish people with regards to the Holocaust," he said. "It is so vastly different. You cannot compare political prisoners with Jewish victims."

Shame on him. For more information about the persecution of queers by the Nazi's during the Holocaust, check this out.

Crossposted to the AIDS Committee of Guelph and Wellington's Current Events Blog:

Edge Magazine in Boston was the first to break the story of 60 Canadians living with HIV who were planning to attend the North American Housing and HIV/AIDS Research Summit in Washington D.C. who were denied entry into the U.S. The U.S. Congress has repealed the law that bans HIV positive travelers to the U.S. however, the repeal has not been translated into policy implemented by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The article can be found here.

For more information about the travel ban to the U.S. check out this past week's Xtra for an article (that went to print before the 60 people were barred from entry)

The following video addresses employment and hate crimes issue for trans people in the U.S. . Many of the issues (regardless of the laws Canada has on the books) are also faced by trans Canadians. The video was produced by GLAD (Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders) a New England advocacy group working to end discrimination based on sexual orientation, HIV status, and gender identity and expression.

On Thursday, May 14th Uruguayan President Tabare Vasquez announced his government will "allow gays to join the armed forces by scrapping military rules that define homosexuality as a disorder." Vasquez explained his decision saying, " The Uruguayan government does not discriminate against citizens based on their political, ethnic, or sexual identity."

Uruguay's Deputy Defense Minister elaborated, " There were a series of rules...regarding the psycho-physical requirements (for entry into the armed forces) in which homosexuality was seen as a sexual identity disorder, and this is what is being repealed."

The following countries allow gays and lesbians to serve openly:

• Australia
• Bermuda
• Canada
• Germany
• Israel
• Italy
• The Netherlands
• Romania
• United Kingdom
• Switzerland
• Uruguay

The U.S. still has it's "Dont Ask Don't Tell Don't Harass" policy which Obama has promised to repeal, though his promise seems to be wavering lately. In Russia, those alleged to have "sexual identity problems" are to be drafted only during war time stating that "well adjusted homosexuals" are permitted to serve in a normal capacity". In Germany, tolerance towards all sexual orientations is considered to be part of the duty of military personnel and sexual relations (regardless of sexual orientation) are considered irrelevant if outside of "service time" (on the soldier's own time).

The details on Canada (from wikipedia.org):

In 1976, the Canadian Forces issued Canadian Forces Administrative Order (CFAO) 19-20, which allowed members suspected of being homosexual to be investigated and then subsequently released. This order was repealed in 1992, after a challenge by then CF Member Michelle Douglas, thereby allowing gay, lesbian and transgendered people to serve in the Canadian Forces free from harassment and discrimination.

A series of provincial and territorial Supreme Court decisions beginning in 2003 ruled in favour of the legality of gay marriage, and a national law to that effect was passed by Canada's parliament in 2005 by the Paul Martin Liberal government. In May 2005, Canada's first military gay wedding took place at Nova Scotia's Canadian Forces Base Greenwood. Officials described the ceremony as low-key but touching. A similar wedding has since taken place between two male Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers.

Today, the Canadian Forces recognizes same-sex marital and common-law unions, and affords them the same benefits offered to all married or common-law serving members.

During the 2008 Toronto Pride Parade, ten members of the Canadian Forces marched for the first time. One month later, twelve gay and straight members of the Canadian Forces marched in Vancouver's Pride Parade. Lt(N) Steven Churm said, "The message to the public is that the Canadian Forces is an employer of choice. We have employment opportunities that people can pursue, regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation. For our own members, they can be proud of what they're doing and also be proud of who they are."

An American service member, about to be discharged for being gay, penned an open letter to his commander-in-chief  on CNN's Web site. Here is an excerpt: