Update, September 2014: Durch proaktive Gespräche und sorgfältige Beratungen unserer Rechtsvertreter haben wir gemeinsam eine Vereinbarung getroffen, deren Bedingungen vertraulich sind und die zu der beantragten Hinterbliebenenrente führt. Wir freuen uns, dass Jerry diese Leistungen erhält, und sind ebenso zufrieden mit der Art und Weise, wie Bayer diese Rechtsfrage angegangen und gelöst hat.
(Boston, MA) John Abdallah Wambere, a prominent Ugandan gay activist who was featured in the documentaries “Call Me Kuchu” and “Missionaries of Hate,” filed for asylum today in the United States.
Wambere has been an activist for fourteen years, as a co-founder of Spectrum Uganda Initiatives, through which he has worked to ensure the safety of the LGBTI community, reduce stigma, assist LGBTI Ugandans under arrest, and educate about HIV. Uganda’s LGBTI community has been under escalating public, political, and physical attack in recent years, culminating in the passage of the Anti-Homosexuality Act and its signing into law on February 24, 2014 by President Yoweri Museveni.
“This has been a very, very difficult decision for me,” said Wambere. “I have devoted my life to working for LGBTI people in Uganda, and it gives me great pain not to be with my community, allies, and friends while they are under increasing attack. But in my heart, I know it is my only option, and that I would be of no use to my community in jail.”
The Anti-Homosexuality Act imposes harsher penalties for same-sex relationships, including life imprisonment. It also imposes new penalties for any activities that are viewed as “aiding and abetting homosexuality” and “promoting homosexuality.” The law is broad in its reach and criminalizes even activism and public health education work related to LGBTI individuals, including those living with HIV.
“It is simply not safe for John to return to Uganda,” said Janson Wu, Senior Staff Attorney for Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), which is representing Wambere. “Even before the bill was signed, John was outed as gay by newspapers, harassed by strangers, received death threats from anonymous phone calls, evicted from his home, and beaten up. Now he also faces life imprisonment should he return.”
Following the signing of the bill, 30,000 Ugandans gathered in a stadium for a rally to thank the president for signing the law. They listened to speakers who called LGBTI people “criminals,” “animals” and “devils.” Since the bill’s signing, LGBTI people in Uganda have been arrested, some have gone underground, and others have fled the country. An HIV organization was infiltrated and shut down by police.
Anti-gay sentiment in Uganda has been promoted by American evangelicals such as Scott Lively, who travelled to the country to preach and promote what was at the time called the “Kill the Gays” bill because it included the death penalty, which was removed.
“The United States can do two very important things,” said Allison Wright, GLAD Staff Attorney. “We can provide a safer harbor where brave Ugandan LGBT individuals can continue to speak out and work for change; and we can work to stop the export of prejudice, denouncing the efforts of Americans to spread homophobia in other countries.”
John Abdallah Wambere’s condensed and redacted affidavit for asylum can be read on GLAD’s website at www.gladlaw.org/wambere.
Neben GLAD wird John Wambere von Hema Sarang-Sieminski von der Anwaltskanzlei Hema Sarang-Sieminksi vertreten.
Update 26. November 2014: John „Longjones“ Abdallah Wambere erhielt einen Brief von der US-Einwanderungsbehörde, in dem ihm mitgeteilt wurde, dass sein Asylantrag vollständig genehmigt wurde.
11. September 2014: John „Longjones“ Abdallah Wambere wurde Asyl in den Vereinigten Staaten empfohlen. In einem Schreiben vom 11. September 2014teilte die US-Einwanderungsbehörde Wambere mit, dass die Genehmigung seines Antrags vorbehaltlich einer routinemäßigen Sicherheitsüberprüfung empfohlen werde. Mehr lesen.
John Wambere wurde am 25. August 2014 von einem Asylbeamten des Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services zu seinem Asylantrag befragt. Im Zusammenhang mit dem Interview und zur Unterstützung von Johns Antrag reichten wir den Uganda Country Conditions Report ein. was hier zu lesen ist.
GLAD hat eine Asylantrag im Namen von John Abdallah Wambere, einem prominenten ugandischen Schwulenaktivisten, der in den Dokumentarfilmen zu sehen war Nenn mich Kuchu Und Missionare des Hasses. Wir arbeiten mit der Bostoner Einwanderungsanwältin Hema Sarang-Sieminski von der Anwaltskanzlei Hema Sarang-Sieminski.
John war in Massachusetts, um auf seine Arbeit mit der LGBTI-Gemeinschaft in Uganda aufmerksam zu machen, als Präsident Museveni am 24. Februar das ugandische Anti-Homosexualitätsgesetz unterzeichnete. Dieses Gesetz sieht harte Strafen – darunter lebenslange Haft – für gleichgeschlechtliche Beziehungen sowie für jegliche Aktivitäten vor, die als „Förderung der Homosexualität“ gelten.
Für John ist eine Rückkehr nach Uganda nicht sicher. Schon vor der Unterzeichnung des Gesetzes wurde John von Zeitungen als schwul geoutet, von Fremden belästigt, aus seiner Wohnung vertrieben, verprügelt und erhielt Morddrohungen in anonymen Telefonanrufen. Sollte er zurückkehren, droht ihm nun auch noch eine lebenslange Haftstrafe.
Wambere ist seit vierzehn Jahren als Mitbegründer der Spectrum Uganda Initiatives aktiv. Mit seiner Initiative setzt er sich für die Sicherheit der LGBTI-Community ein, lindert Stigmatisierung, unterstützt verhaftete LGBTI-Ugander und klärt über HIV auf. Ugandas LGBTI-Community ist in den letzten Jahren zunehmend öffentlichen, politischen und physischen Angriffen ausgesetzt gewesen, die schließlich zur Verabschiedung des Anti-Homosexualitätsgesetzes führten.
„Das ist mir eine sehr, sehr schwere Entscheidung“, sagte Wambere in einer Medienerklärung. „Ich habe mein Leben der Arbeit für LGBTI-Personen in Uganda gewidmet, und es schmerzt mich sehr, nicht bei meiner Gemeinschaft, meinen Verbündeten und Freunden sein zu können, während sie zunehmenden Angriffen ausgesetzt sind. Aber tief in meinem Herzen weiß ich, dass es meine einzige Option ist und dass ich meiner Gemeinschaft im Gefängnis nichts nützen würde.“
Häufig gestellte Fragen zu In re WambereLesen Sie mehr von Johns Geschichte
Ugandische Zeitung veröffentlicht Namen und Fotos von Mitgliedern der LGBTI-Community
Zeitleiste der Anti-Homosexuellen-Aktivitäten in Uganda
Lesen Sie die vollständige Erklärung von GLAD
Der Koalition der Zivilgesellschaft für Menschenrechte und Verfassungsrechte, eine Koalition ugandischer Organisationen, die sich der Bekämpfung dieser Tat verschrieben haben, veröffentlichte kürzlich Richtlinien für internationale Partner, wie sie die Arbeit in Uganda am besten unterstützen können. Wir ermutigen Sie, die Arbeit der Koalition sowie anderer ugandischer Menschenrechtskoalitionen und -organisationen zu unterstützen, wie zum Beispiel: Spectrum Uganda Initiativen Und Sexuelle Minderheiten Uganda
A broad swath of marriage equality supporters weighed in with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit yesterday, filing amicus briefs in Küche gegen Herbert Und Bishop v. Smith, the Utah and Oklahoma marriages cases respectively.
Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders’ Civil Rights Project Director Mary L. Bonauto coordinated the amicus effort, involving attorneys and interested organizations representing religious leaders, child welfare organizations, business leaders, health care professionals, experts in family law, constitutional law and relationship recognition, and military leaders and service members. The amici urge the Court of Appeals to uphold the Utah and Oklahoma District Court rulings finding that the bans on marriage for same-sex couples violate the United States Constitution
“I am honored to assist my legal colleagues so that same-sex couples have the freedom to marry the person they love no matter where they live,” said Bonauto, who litigated the groundbreaking Goodridge marriage equality case in Massachusetts (2003), and who filed the first multi-plaintiff challenges against the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in 2009 and 2010. “These briefs came together in a short period of time with a lot of help from many people, and provide overwhelming evidence that the government gains nothing legitimate, and only does harm, in depriving loving, committed couples the ability to secure a government marriage license.”
Update October 6, 2014: The U.S. Supreme Court declined to review the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals decision striking down Utah’s marriage ban for same-sex couples, thereby permitting that decision to stand, as well as a similar decision from Oklahoma. The Court also denied review of decisions by the Fourth and Seventh Circuit Courts of Appeals, which had struck down marriage bans in Virginia, Indiana, and Wisconsin.
By denying review of the Küche gegen Herbert case, the Court let stand the June 2014 decision by the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit that found Utah’s ban on marriages by same-sex couples unconstitutional. The decision means that same-sex couples in Utah, Oklahoma, Colorado, Kansas and Wyoming—all in the Tenth Circuit—have a constitutionally protected right to marry and to have their marriages treated equally. Read the full statement from NCLR and GLAD.
Update 4. September 2014: Three diverse voices – those of business, states, and family and equality groups – filed amici curiae Slips in der Küche gegen Herbert case. The briefs argue that the high court should take a case or cases in order to resolve the harm and discrimination imposed by marriage bans. The briefs can be read in the list at right.
Update August 28, 2014: —Today, the three couples challenging the State of Utah’s ban on marriage for same-sex couples asked the United States Supreme Court to accept the request of Utah state officials to review the case. In the brief todayDie Kläger argumentieren, dass eine Überprüfung durch den Obersten Gerichtshof erforderlich sei, da gleichgeschlechtliche Paare in Utah und im ganzen Land dringend die Sicherheit der Ehe benötigen, egal wo sie arbeiten oder reisen, um sich und ihre Familien umfassend zu schützen. In der Klageschrift wird argumentiert, dass nur eine Entscheidung des Obersten Gerichtshofs, die ihr Recht auf Heirat und die landesweite Anerkennung ihrer Ehe bestätigt, diese grundlegende Ungleichheit beseitigen kann. Mehr lesen.
FROH has joined colleagues at the National Center for LGBTQ Rights (NCLR) and Utah attorney Peggy Tomsic as counsel in this historic federal case representing same-sex couples seeking the freedom to marry in Utah. The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled June 25, 2014 that Utah’s ban on the freedom to marry for same-sex couples violates the U.S. Constitution’s guarantees of equal protection and due process.
The U.S. Supreme Court has been asked to review the case.
GLAD previously submitted a brief of amicus curiae in support of the plaintiffs-appellees in the appeal before the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. The brief was filed on GLAD’s behalf by attorneys from the firm of WilmerHale.
Case Developments Excerpted From NCLR:
On June 25, 2014, the Tenth Circuit ruled that Utah’s ban on the freedom to marry for same-sex couples violates the U.S. Constitution’s guarantees of equal protection and due process. The decision is the first federal appellate court ruling in a freedom to marry case since the United States Supreme Court ruled in June 2013 that the federal government must recognize the marriages of same-sex couples.
On August 5, 2014, the State of Utah asked the Supreme Court of the United States to review the Tenth Circuit’s decision. The Tenth Circuit’s decision states that Utah couples will not be able to marry until after the Supreme Court decides whether to review the case. If the Supreme Court decides to review the case, couples will not be able to marry until after the Supreme Court issues its decision.
For further background visit www.nclrights.org
In addition to NCLR, GLAD and attorney Peggy Tomsic of Magleby & Greenwood, P.C. (Salt Lake City), the plaintiffs are also represented by the D.C. film of Hogan Lovells.
In 2014, GLAD represented Kerry Considine in a discrimination suit against her employer, Brookdale Senior Living, after Brookdale denied her the right to put her wife, Renee, onto her employer-provided health plan. Kerry’s claim charged that Brookdale discriminated against her on the basis of her sex, in violation of Title VII of the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Equal Pay Act and the Connecticut Fair Employment Practices Act.
Kerry filed her claim with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and shortly thereafter Brookdale changed its policy and decided to extend health insurance benefits to both same-sex and different-sex spouses. Subsequently, the EEOC made an initial determination that there was “reasonable cause to believe that the Respondent [Brookdale] has discriminated against the Charging Party [Kerry] on account of her sex.” Kerry then received a right-to-sue letter from the EEOC.
Following the filing of our complaint in the federal district court in Connecticut, it came to light that Kerry had, as a condition of her employment, signed a mandatory arbitration agreement. Brookdale moved to compel our case to arbitration, and the US District Court judge agreed, ruling that an arbitrator had to determine whether Kerry’s claims were subject to arbitration.
In arbitration, Kerry argued that her claims for declaratory and injunctive relief should not be in arbitration and should return to federal court based upon an express exclusion in the arbitration agreement. Brookdale asserted that, at best, the agreement was ambiguous and, therefore, must be interpreted to favor arbitration. On the merits, Brookdale also argued that Kerry had no current claim because she was now receiving the benefits that previously were denied. The arbitrator has now ruled that Kerry’s claim is subject to arbitration, and that Kerry’s claim on the merits should be dismissed in arbitration because it was not ripe (meaning essentially that she has no current, live controversy with Brookdale because she is receiving the benefits).
We do not believe the arbitrator’s ruling is correct on any point, but the arbitrator’s ruling is final and cannot be appealed.
Die Sozialversicherung gab Anfang des Monats bekannt, dass sie nun auch Anträge auf Witwen- und Witwerrenten, darunter auch Medicare-Anträge, für gleichgeschlechtliche Ehepartner bearbeitet. Die neue Richtlinie gilt für hinterbliebene Ehepartner, sofern der Arbeitnehmer seinen Wohnsitz in einem Bundesstaat hatte, der die Ehe für alle anerkennt, und die Ehe in den USA geschlossen wurde. Ebenso bearbeitet die Sozialversicherung nun auch Anträge auf Todesfallleistungen, wenn der verstorbene Arbeitnehmer seinen Wohnsitz in einem Bundesstaat hatte, der die Ehe für alle anerkennt.
Wenn die Ehe im Ausland geschlossen wurde, kann die Sozialversicherung den Antrag bearbeiten, allerdings erst, nachdem sie eine Rechtsauskunft über die Gültigkeit der Ehe eingeholt hat.
Die Sozialversicherung hält weiterhin mehrere Ansprüche aufrecht, darunter auch Anträge, bei denen:
• Der verstorbene Arbeitnehmer hatte seinen Wohnsitz in einem Staat, in dem die Eheschließung nicht anerkannt wird; oder
• Die Ehe erfüllt nicht die erforderliche Dauer und der Kläger macht eine frühere gleichgeschlechtliche, nichteheliche Beziehung, beispielsweise eine eingetragene Lebenspartnerschaft, geltend.
Wer mit einem Ehepartner des gleichen Geschlechts verheiratet war oder ist und glaubt, Anspruch auf Sozialversicherung zu haben, sollte umgehend einen Antrag stellen, um seinen Anspruch auf Leistungen zu wahren.
Die Pressemitteilungen der Social Security Administration finden Sie hier:
• Gleichgeschlechtliche Ehe – Leistungen für hinterbliebene Ehepartner
• Gleichgeschlechtliche Ehe – Pauschale Todesfallzahlung (LSDP)
Die Sozialversicherung unterhält außerdem eine Häufig gestellte Fragen Abschnitt auf seiner Website.
Informationen zu anderen staatlichen Leistungen für verheiratete gleichgeschlechtliche Paare finden Sie unter www.gladlaw.org/doma
Transgender Rights Project Director Jennifer Levi shares an update on some of the critical work GLAD is doing in the area of transgender legal rights:
GLAD continues to play a national role in ensuring transgender people receive justice in the family law context. The centerpiece of that work is our groundbreaking book, Transgender-Familienrecht: Ein Leitfaden für eine wirksame Interessenvertretung, published last year. Attorneys around the country are using the book to better advocate for their clients, and transgender people are using it to better advocate for themselves.
Education in the Courts
Our next step in leveling the playing field for transgender people in family court is getting the book into the hands of more attorneys and judges and educating them about the unique needs and vulnerabilities of transgender people in this context. In September, Polly Crozier, a contributor to Transgender Family Lawand a partner at Kauffman Crozier LLP, organized and moderated a panel focused on transgender family law issues attended by family court judges who hear cases throughout Massachusetts.
All attendees received a copy of the book and heard from legal and medical experts: Elizabeth Monnin-Browder, my Transgender Family Law co-editor and an attorney Ropes & Gray; Connecticut Superior Court Judge Maureen M. Murphy, the presiding judge in Waterbury Family Court; and Dr. Norman Spack, a renowned expert in treating transgender children.
Name-changes for Transgender Children
We’re also continuing critical legal work to change the experience of transgender people in probate courts, specifically around name-changes for transgender children, an issue on which we’ve fielded a number of concerning calls from parents in the past year.
We’ve fielded a number of concerning calls in the past year from parents of transgender youth facing obstacles when trying to change their child’s name. These parents are understandably looking for an immediate solution and we intervene as we can to help them. But GLAD is also on the lookout for cases that can have a precedential impact – that is, cases that create changes in the law from which everyone can benefit.
If you think you or a family member is being discriminated against in the probate system, please contact GLAD-Antworten.
The Transgender Rights Project is doing critical work as part of a national movement to remove barriers to transition-related health care for all transgender people. This includes our administrative challenge to Medicare’s ban on transition-related care.
Challenging Medicare’s Ban on Transition-Related Care
GLAD has joined with the National Center for Lesbian Rights, the ACLU, and civil rights attorney Mary Lou Boelcke to represent Denee Mallon, a Medicare recipient whose doctors have recommended surgery to treat her severe gender dysphoria. Medicare, the federal program that provides healthcare to Americans 65 or older and younger people with disabilities, prohibits all forms of gender reassignment surgery regardless of an individual patient’s diagnosis or serious medical need. The ban was instituted 30 years ago, when there was little research about the efficacy of gender reassignment surgery. Now that we know these procedures are safe and effective, we have a strong case to make for doing away with this outdated policy.
Advocating for Health Care for Transgender Prisoners
GLAD is also taking on a more active role in the Massachusetts case Kosilek v. Spencer, advocating for transgender inmates to receive medically necessary care. We are currently awaiting a decision in the case from the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals.
Advocating for incarcerated transgender people to receive medically necessary transition-related care is an important piece of this work both because of the horrific treatment transgender people face in prisons and also because of the broader impact such rulings have on the entire community. Right now, GLAD is awaiting a decision in Kosilek v. Spencer from the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals. The case involves Michelle Kosilek, a transgender woman who successfully sued the Mass. Department of Corrections for medical treatment of her gender dysphoria in federal district court, a ruling the state has appealed. Michelle’s longtime attorney, Frances S. Cohen, who expertly litigated this case for more than 10 years, recently departed her firm Bingham McCutcheon for a new job, so GLAD is taking a more active role in this case.
Eliminating Barriers in Insurance Coverage
We are making remarkable progress toward eliminating barriers to transition-related healthcare. In April, Vermont’s Division of Insurance issued a bulletin making clear that under state law health insurance companies operating in Vermont must cover treatment related to a person’s gender transition, including coverage for gender reassignment surgery.
This bulletin is a critical victory for the transgender community in Vermont and GLAD was proud to partner with local LGBT and health care advocates to educate insurance commissioners and encourage the Division of Insurance to issue the bulletin. For more information about the bulletin check out this FAQ from our partner RU12 Community Center.
We are now partnering with advocates in Maine and Massachusetts to explore options in those states to ensure fair insurance coverage. Stay tuned for updates in those states.
GLAD today unveiled “GLAD Answers”, an updated version of our venerable Legal InfoLine. GLAD Answers is an information and referral service that GLAD has run since our inception, in recent years receiving more than 2,000 inquiries annually from LGBT people and people living with HIV.
The new features of GLAD Answers are:
• A dedicated URL, www.GLADAnswers.org
• An enhanced live chat function
• A new, direct email address: GLADAnswers@glad.org
• Use of an interpretation service for non-English speakers
• And a snappy new name and logo:
GLAD Answers retains its regular phone hours of 1:30-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, and its phone number of 1-800-455-GLAD. The service is staffed by highly trained volunteers who provide callers with legal information and referrals that can help resolve issues ranging from school bullying to employment discrimination.
In addition to empowering those who make use of the service, GLAD Answers enables GLAD to identify new legal issues, patterns of discrimination, and cases to litigate.
“Often, empowered with legal information, people can resolve their situations themselves,” said Bruce Bell, Public Engagement and Information Manager. “For example, we recently heard from a mom in Maine whose son was getting resistance from his school when he tried to start a Gay-Straight Alliance. We gave her the information and tools she needed to talk with administrators and within two weeks the school approved the GSA.”
“GLAD Answers is my go-to resource whenever I have questions pertaining to the rights of LGBT youth and young adults. I call them directly for help and I also strongly encourage our youth to contact them if they have a question about their rights,” said Jayeson Watts, MSW, Direct Services Coordinator of Youth Pride, Inc., in Rhode Island. “The staff and volunteers are easy to talk to, knowledgeable and committed to helping LGBT people get the fair treatment they deserve. GLAD Answers is an invaluable resource.”
Although GLAD Answers specializes in LGBT/HIV legal information for the six New England states, the service provides help to anyone who contacts it.
The U.S. Treasury Department and the IRS announced today that all legally married same-sex couples will be able to file their federal taxes as married. This will apply even if a couple resides in a state that does not recognize their marriage, so long as they were married in a state that does.
“Today’s ruling provides certainty and clear, coherent tax filing guidance for all legally married same-sex couples nationwide. It provides access to benefits, responsibilities and protections under federal tax law that all Americans deserve,” said Treasury Secretary Jack Lew.
You can read the full announcement Hier. The IRS has also posted an FAQ for married same-sex couples, available Hier.
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