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Logos of ACLU ME, Out Maine, Equality Maine, GLAD, and Maine Women's Lobby
All youth in Maine should be safe at school, including LGBTQ+ youth. This ought to be obvious. So we are all deeply disappointed to see that playbooks used in other states that fearmonger about transgender young people in our communities have made their way to Maine. It is deeply hurtful to see young people’s lives become the subject of attack ads and controversy that disrupt their and their families’ lives.

Whether you’re a parent, teacher or community member, we all know that young people do best when they are seen, loved and supported. We all want kids to feel that support and care, and to succeed at school and in life. LGBTQ+ youth, including transgender youth, need and deserve that same support and care.

We understand that not everyone knows a transgender person and may have questions. We are all here to engage with you about those questions. Some of us are transgender and grew up here. All of us know that LGBTQ+ youth, including transgender youth, are part of our communities and with support, are succeeding in ways that would make anyone proud.

The Department of Education should be applauded for its stance on supporting all LGBTQ+ students, families and staff, and its recognition that every student deserves a safe and equitable school environment. We also recognize and appreciate that teachers do the hard work of helping young people learn in ways that are age- and educationally- appropriate. The Department can do more to build out its commitment and to support schools and teachers in this work. Organizations like ours are advocating for parents and families who seek safe, supportive, and successful schools across Maine.

There is a need for more conversations and action to ensure every child gets the support and education they need to succeed. But let’s not pretend that the wake of an attack ad is the time or place for it.

签名,

ACLU Maine
缅因州平等组织
GLBTQ 法律倡导者和捍卫者 (GLAD)
Maine Women’s Lobby
Out Maine

消息

LD 1539 将首次要求缅因州的私人保险公司承保生育护理

缅因州州长珍妮特·米尔斯于2022年5月2日签署了LD 1539号法案,即《提供生育护理服务的法案》,并于今日在奥古斯塔举行了该法案的签署仪式。该法案要求缅因州的私人医疗保险必须涵盖医疗干预措施,包括生育诊断护理、生育治疗以及医学上必要的生育保护。 解决新英格兰问题 (RNE)是一家为生育患者提供支持、教育和倡导的非营利组织,它领导了支持 LD 1539 的联盟,其中包括 LGBTQ 法律倡导组织 GLBTQ 法律倡导者和捍卫者 (格拉德)。RNE 和 GLAD 发表了以下声明,赞扬米尔斯州长签署该法案:“我们每天都听到新英格兰各地民众的声音,他们正在为生育和家庭组建而苦苦挣扎。由于缺乏保险,缅因州的许多个人和夫妇为了实现为人父母的梦想而负债累累,即便他们有能力尝试,也无济于事。” Resolve New England 执行董事 Kate Weldon LeBlanc 说道。 “我们很高兴看到米尔斯州长签署这项重要的、有利于家庭的立法。这项新法律将显著改善所有希望扩大家庭的缅因州居民获得生育护理的机会,包括不孕不育夫妇、LGBTQ+ 人群、癌症幸存者等等。” “生育护理对许多人来说都至关重要,包括 LGBTQ+ 人群。然而,由于没有保险,许多人因费用高昂而无法获得生育护理。” 同性恋者反歧视联盟 (GLAD) 高级律师 Polly Crozier 说道,EqualityMaine 也参与了他们的证词。 “我们感谢立法机构和米尔斯州长采取的行动,确保生育保险具有包容性和最佳实践。” GLAD 律师 Mary Bonauto 补充道, 生育能力是许多人面临的问题,这项医疗服务将使那些原本无法生育的孩子能够融入生活。这项法律将更公平地支持缅因州居民建立家庭,并为更多家庭提供优质、及时的医疗服务。该法案将于2024年1月1日生效,这将使保险局有时间解决承保范围的“合理限制”。随着LD 1539的颁布,缅因州加入了全国各州的行列,这些州认识到帮助人们建立家庭并让他们能够爱护和养育下一代缅因州人是一项合理的公共政策。新罕布什尔州于2019年通过了一项承保法案,康涅狄格州、马萨诸塞州和罗德岛州的生育保健法也已实施数十年,并已成为各州医疗保健体系的一部分。随着LD 1539的颁布,全国已有20个州制定了生育保险法,包括除佛蒙特州以外的所有新英格兰州。

消息

The Maine Human Rights Commission by a 3-2 vote today issued a finding of reasonable grounds that an assisted living facility violated state nondiscrimination law by turning away a transgender woman. The Commission’s action followed an investigation in the discrimination complaint filed by GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) on behalf of Marie King, a 79-year-old woman who was denied a room by Sunrise Assisted Living because she is transgender. It is the first known discrimination complaint filed in the U.S. by a transgender older adult against a long-term care facility.

Marie King
             玛丽·金

“Being turned away because I’m transgender was wrong and it hurt,” said Ms. King. “It’s a relief to have the Commission recognize that. I know I’m not the only person this has happened to and I hope my case leads to better understanding.”

“This is a significant finding for Ms. King and for other transgender older adults who face similar barriers when seeking the care many of us need as we age,” said GLAD Staff Attorney Chris Erchull. “The Commission’s action sends a clear message both to transgender people and to long-term care facilities that turning someone away because they are transgender violates the legal protections meant to ensure equal treatment for everyone.”

In the spring of 2021, a social worker at Pen Bay Medical Center contacted Sunrise on behalf of Ms. King, who was a patient at the hospital. The facility initially said there was a room available, but upon learning that Ms. King is transgender Sunrise informed the hospital they would not admit her because they were concerned she wanted to reside in a room with a female roommate.

The Commission made a finding of reasonable grounds that Sunrise discriminated against her on the basis of her gender identity, transgender status, and her sex, all protected under the Maine Human Rights Act. The Commission will now bring the parties together to attempt to resolve the matter and, failing that, Ms. King’s case may proceed to court.

“We have nondiscrimination protections in our laws to ensure we are all treated equally and to address the profound harm people experience when they are not,” said GLAD Senior Attorney Ben Klein. “When Marie was denied a room at Sunrise because she is a transgender woman it was dehumanizing and it impacted her health, forcing her to stay in the hospital longer than was recommended by her medical team. The outcome we are all working toward is long-term care facilities where everyone who needs them is welcomed with courtesy and respect.”

Research indicates that transgender older adults are as likely as or even more likely than other older adults to require long-term care, including assisted living, due to the adverse health consequences of long histories of anti-transgender stigma and bias. Yet, as Ms. King’s case shows, transgender adults face systemic and widespread barriers when seeking care and support as they age.

“Today’s finding presents an opportunity to reinforce a core value shared by those who provide long-term care: that all of us are entitled to dignity and respect as we age,” added GLAD Civil Rights Project Director and Maine Attorney Mary Bonauto. “That is all Marie and other transgender older adults are asking for and it is what the Commission has confirmed the law requires.”

详细了解此案, 金诉日出辅助生活案.

An Act to Make Certain Traffic Infractions Secondary Offenses

On March 3, 2022, Mary L. Bonauto submitted testimony on behalf of GLAD, MaineTrans.Net, and Equality Maine in support of LD 1479, An Act to Make Certain Traffic Infractions Secondary Offenses.

LD 1479 lists certain offenses as not a justification for a traffic stop: littering, failing to register or display a registration, failing to display an inspection sticker, and some equipment issues. This bill would provide one way to proactively address harms and build equity into a law enforcement area that often involves racial profiling and can lead to escalation. Traffic stops are the most common form of law enforcement interaction with the American public, and officers disproportionately stop and cite Black, Brown, and Indigenous drivers.

Limiting traffic infraction stops that too often serve as pretext for searches and arrests is one of many necessary steps to disrupt patterns of oppression and violence in policing to historically marginalized people.

旨在使家庭伴侣相关法律保持一致的法案 OTP

On January 14, GLAD submitted testimony in support of Maine LD 1804, An Act to Provide Consistency in the Laws Regarding Domestic Partners, along with MaineTrans.Net, Equality Maine, ACLU of Maine, and Maine Women’s Lobby.

Civil Rights Project Director Mary L Bonauto explains in this testimony:

This bill would streamline the definitions of “domestic partner” in Maine law to focus on the Probate Code definition of “domestic partner.” This would update and declutter the law by removing multiple definitional sections or clauses, and use the definition that the term “domestic partner… means one of 2 unmarried adults who are domiciled together under long-term agreements that evidence a commitment to remain responsible indefinitely for each other’s welfare.”

请在此阅读完整的证词。

缅因州的包容性带薪家庭假

No one should have to choose between a paycheck and caring for a loved one. Paid family and medical leave policies should be inclusive of all kinds of families.

GLAD, together with EqualityMaine, MaineTransNet, ACLU of Maine, and Maine Women’s Lobby, is urging the Commission to Develop a Paid Family and Medical Leave Benefits Program to adopt an inclusive definition of family to ensure families of all kinds have the ability to take care of each other when the need arises.

Read our joint testimony to the Commission.

倡导者回应 CCLP 关于在长溪使用武力的报告

Logos for Maine Youth Justice, ACLU ME, Disability Rights ME, and GLAD

An investigation by the Center for Children’s Law and Policy (CCLP) into reports of use of force at Long Creek this summer has confirmed that youth were subjected to chokeholds and prone restraints, in violation of the youth prison’s policy.

The report outlines significant shortcomings including

  • chronic staff shortages,
  • unclear policies about de-escalation and the use of force, and
  • a deeply flawed response to disturbances at the youth prison — which permits the use of chemical agents like pepper spray and intervention by an outside tactical team. “These responses may or may not be appropriate in state prisons, but they are inappropriate, counterproductive, and dangerous in youth facilities,” the report authors write.

This is the third time CCLP has evaluated conditions at Long Creek, and its findings are consistent with the conclusions from its first report in 2017.

Four years ago, CCLP found Long Creek is not designed to meet or manage the serious mental health needs of young people confined there.

Long Creek continues to be dangerously understaffed, and policies about de-escalation and the use of force remain unclear. In its most recent investigation, CCLP found that Long Creek still permits the use of so-called “therapeutic” prone restraints – even though the child welfare organization said the use of prone restraints needs to stop in its 2017 report.

“Staff should not use the prone restraint, period, and MDOC policy should say so,” the CCLP investigators write in their most recent report.

Finally, Long Creek continues to be unable to meet youths’ mental health needs: there are not enough mental health clinicians, and staff cannot adequately create or implement Intensive Behavioral Management Plans.

Long Creek is incarcerating 25 young people at a cost of almost $20 million annually.

Earlier this year, formerly incarcerated young people, led by Maine Youth Justice, and their allies advocated for a bill to close Long Creek. The bill, LD 1668, passed in the House and the Senate, but was vetoed by Governor Mills.

“The latest report from the Center for Children’s Law and Policy regarding the ongoing issues at Long Creek only proves what we already know: Long Creek remains a hotbed of negligence, failures, and broken promises to youth,” said Leyla Hashi, Communications Coordinator, Maine Youth Justice. “Implementing only minor changes to an inherently broken prison system won’t change the fact that young people are reportedly ‘treated like animals’ by the staff charged with their care.

“Ultimately, Maine’s children and teenagers belong in their homes and neighborhoods, with the mental health and social support they need to be healthy and happy individuals. Being locked in a cell and away from one’s family is deeply traumatic for youth. They deserve care and understanding as developing young people with futures beyond their mistakes.

“Maine Youth Justice will continue to fight for a future where Long Creek is shut down and all of Maine’s children are free from the devastating impact of incarceration,” Hashi concluded.

“The findings released by CCLP aren’t surprising or new, but they are shameful. They add to the years of evidence about Long Creek’s failures and how it has harmed young people. Incarcerating young people is irredeemably violent, both for the young people who are confined and the adults who have to confine them. No amount of reform can fix something irredeemable. Long Creek needs to be closed,” said Michael Kebede, Policy Counsel, ACLU of Maine. “We urge the Governor and the Legislature to listen to youth advocates – many of them survivors of Long Creek – and to face the mountains of evidence about Long Creek’s failures. It is long past time for the Governor and the Legislature to shut down Maine’s last youth prison and invest in the community-based services that young people need to be healthy and thriving.”

“CCLP’s most recent report documents, once again, that Maine continues to warehouse many youth with mental health needs at Long Creek due to a lack of appropriate mental health services in the community. Maine continues to ask Long Creek to do what it is not capable of doing. This has to end. Incarceration is not treatment,” said Atlee Reilly, Legal Director, Disability Rights Maine.

“More institutions are not an appropriate response to a failed institution. Maine youth deserve individualized and robust community-based services to support them in their homes and communities,” said Mary L. Bonauto, Civil Rights Project Director, GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD). “We’ve had years of news and consultant reports about Long Creek along with repeated, but unsuccessful efforts to reform it. It’s time to turn the page on Long Creek. The prison model simply doesn’t work for youth or our communities, and that’s why so many states have turned away from it. We can respond to inappropriate behavior in ways that both help young people become healthy and keep communities safe, as in other states and as outlined in past reports. Given the young people coming into the system with behaviors tied to genuine trauma and unmet mental health needs, our state should divert resources into needed care.”

博客

Making Change Outside of the Courts: Advancing LGBTQ+, Racial, and Economic Justice

Rep. Jeff Currey, Lisa Rosenthall, Professor Doug NeJaime, advocates Stephanie and Denise, and GLAD Senior Staff Attorney Patience Crozier
Rep. Jeff Currey, Lisa Rosenthall, Professor Doug NeJaime, advocates Stephanie and Denise, and GLAD Senior Staff Attorney Patience Crozier

GLAD has long relied on the whole mix of legal, policy, and advocacy tools to build a just society free from discrimination. To advance racial, economic, and LGBTQ+ justice and ensure the greatest possible impact for our communities, GLAD engage in the courts and at policy tables, statehouses with legislators and advocates, and in community coalitions across New England and beyond.

In 2021 we worked in partnership with others to advance bills that will make a difference in the lives of LGBTQ+ families, adults, and youth. Some of these policies target harms individuals face because of poverty, racial inequities, anti-LGBTQ+ bias, or discriminatory laws, while others lay the groundwork for broader change.

Nondiscrimination Laws: Fair Access to Housing and Public Spaces

高兴的 advocated this year with partners to pass The Rhode Island Fair Housing Practices Act, signed into law in June. Access to housing is a basic necessity and critical to a person or family’s health, stability and wellbeing. Still, too often, discrimination gets in the way of attaining a safe place to live. The Act repeals LGBTQ-only exemptions in Rhode Island law that allowed discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression for smaller housing units, which make up a large percentage of housing stock in the state.

高兴的 also worked in coalition to pass An Act Relating to Health and Safety – State Building Code, which requires single-use bathrooms in places of public accommodation to be labeled restroom rather than restricted by gender. Not only does this protect transgender and nonbinary people from harm when using public restrooms, but it also improves accessibility for disabled Rhode Islanders and young children with differently gendered caretakers and helps everyone by reducing wait times.

Protecting Our Families: Expansion of Parentage and Adoption Laws

Stephanie, Denise, and their kids in rainbow outfits at Pride
We Care Coalition members Stephanie and Denise, and their kids

As a complement to litigation, GLAD also seeks to pass updated, comprehensive laws to secure parent-child relationships regardless of whether the parents are married or how that child came into the world. These protections critical to children’s well-being and address the vulnerability families face from outdated laws and financial barriers in our existing system. GLAD’s work to update parentage and other family-related laws is both an LGBTQ+ equality and a priority for access to justice.

The passage this spring of the 康涅狄格州亲子关系法 (CPA) 曾是 一个 victory years in the making. GLAD co-led 我们关爱联盟 with Yale Law School Professor Douglas NeJaime, working closely with bill sponsors Representative Jeff Currey and Senator Alex Kasser and other stakeholders on the bill’s text. Our coalition advocated by sharing the stories of impacted children and families in the Constitution state and organizing the effort to secure passage. Families and advocates celebrated what Professor NeJaime called the most comprehensive parentage bill to pass to date, at a signing ceremony in Hartford on the first day of Pride Month. The CPA, which goes into effect January 1, 2022, fills gaps in Connecticut law that left children of LGBTQ, unmarried, or de facto parents vulnerable.

GLAD and our partners also successfully advocated for a critical update to the 缅因州亲子关系法 of 2015 to expand access to the Voluntary Acknowledgement of Parentage for LGBTQ parents and others. This acknowledgment form provides a clear, fair, and simple way for parents to establish their legal connection to the child as soon as they are born and protects the family’s integrity and security. Governor Mills signed LD 222, 缅因州亲子法更新法案, in June.

J Shia and her kid, wearing button downs shirts and smiling
Massachusetts parent and MPA Coalition member J. and her child

With these two successful bills and updates in Vermont, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire over the past few years, nearly every state in New England has updated laws recognizing the diversity of how the LGBTQ community forms our families. We are working hard right now to pass the 马萨诸塞州 Parentage Act this year. In partnership with Resolve New England, we are leading a coalition of over 50 partner organizations and families to pass An Act Relative to Parentage to Promote Children’s 安全 (S 1133/H 1714). Learn more, share your family’s story, and get involved at www.massparentage.com.

Other important pending legislation to support families includes An Act To Promote Efficiency in Co-Parent Adoption (S 1124/H 1712) which would ensure a more streamlined process for

Massachusetts co-parent adoptions by LGBTQ couples who petition to adopt their own children, and An Act to Provide Access to Fertility Care (LD 1539), which would make forming families in Maine more attainable for LGBTQ+ couples, and all couples experiencing infertility, by increasing comprehensive medical insurance coverage for fertility diagnostic issues治疗.

Supporting LGBTQ+ Youth: Schools, Child Welfare, and Juvenile Justice Systems

In June, justice-involved youth in 缅因州 gained the right to counsel and petition for alternatives to incarceration when Governor Mills signed into law LD 320An Act to Provide the Right to Counsel for Juveniles and Improve Due Process for Juveniles into law. GLAD worked with bill sponsor Rep. Victoria Morales, whose district includes the Long Creek juvenile facility, and advocacy partners this 3-year effortmake necessary reforms to the juvenile justice system. The bill:

  • Sets a minimum age of twelve for commitment to a juvenile correctional facility and provides that younger children may be detained no more than seven days unless the parties agree
  • Ends the mandatory one-year minimum commitment to juvenile correctional facilities
  • Requires judges to consider both the age of a young person and whether the offense committed would be regarded as a misdemeanor if committed by an adult when deciding whether incarceration is appropriate
  • Creates opportunities for judicial reviews of commitments; and appoints lawyers for both committed and detained young people

Keeping young people with supportive families, connected to resources, and out of correctional facilities is crucial to their opportunities for accountability and development for healthy adulthood. GLAD also supported a Maine Youth Justiceled bill to begin a process to close Long Creek, Maine’s one remaining juvenile prison. While th 账单 did not become law this session, we applaud MYJ’s leadership on the issue. GLAD will continue to work in partnership with them and others on structural changes to our juvenile justice systems, including efforts to close Long Creek.

Also becoming law this June was An Act Regarding School Discipline for Maine’s Youngest Children, which essentially prohibits suspensions and expulsions for children in grade 5 or lower and bars the withholding of recess except for restorative justice interventions. Under the leadership of Rep. Victoria Morales and with collaboration of Disability Rights Maine, the Maine Children’s Alliance, GLAD, and others, this revision of punitive disciplinary measures can keep children engaged in school and prevent issues of the school-to-prison pipeline, outcomes which disproportionately impact students of color and students with disabilities, including those who are LGBTQ+.

GLAD and partner organization OUT Maine collaborated with the Maine Department of Education on its first-ever LGBTQI+ website for the Department, launched in August. The site includes resources on student action groups, student rights, medical and mental health information, and much more, supporting and sustaining inclusive learning environments and contributing to student success at school and over a lifetime.

GLAD is co-leading a Racial and Equity Committee of the Maine Law Court’s Justice for Children Task Force to develop accurate information and support sound policy and interventions. With funding and leadership from the Maine Judicial Branch, the Task Force has commenced a multi-agency demographic data study about what data is collected in the Judicial Branch child welfare, education, public safety, and corrections systems, with a final report completed by November 2022.

在马萨诸塞州, 高兴的 支持 Citizens for Juvenile Justice in their efforts to pass 改善青少年司法数据收集的法案 (S 1558/H 1795). This bill require collecting critical demographic data at all stages of the juvenile justice system, including age, race, ethnicity, primary language, gender identity, and sexual orientationS 1558/H 1795 requires an annual report overseen by the Child Advocate to ensure that the state uses resources efficiently to protect public safety and improve outcomes for youth.

Together with other LGBTQ+ and youth advocacy organizations, 高兴的 advancing structural reforms in our child welfare systemsseeking to improve conditions for youth affected by these systems.

Respect for Our Humanity: Criminal Justice Reform and Reducing Prison Brutality

Transgender people face particular levels of brutality and harassment when incarcerated. GLAD has worked to address these harms through litigation and policy in prison systems across New England and the country. This year, GLAD worked with Maine Trans Net, legislative leaders, and corrections and law enforcement to craft a bill to improve health and safety conditions for transgender people when incarcerated in jails and prisons. LD 1044, which became law this summer, explicitly requires Maine DOC to respect and acknowledge an incarcerated person’s consistently held gender identity for placement irrespective of anatomy or physique, except for significant management, security, or safety reasons. The new law also requires Maine DOC to provide the programming and commissary items consistent with a person’s gender identity.

GLAD also supported and commends our partners in successfully passing bills to decriminalize homelessness and ban face recognition surveillance in Maine (similar legislation, S 47/H 135, is pending in Massachusetts). We are supporting partners in Massachusetts seeking to ensure cost-free phone calls for incarcerated people (Mass.  S 1559), stop police profiling of transgender and low-income women by removing “common nightwalkers” and “common streetwalkers” from MA law (S 992/H 1800), move toward full decriminalization of sex work (H 1867) and pass comprehensive health and safety reforms for incarcerated LGBTQI people (S 1566/H 2484). GLAD also supported a bill in Maine, now law, to provide a defense to prostitution for reasons of economic hardship, preventing injury, or threats.

Living Life: Ensuring Access to Accurate Identification

All of us need accurate ID, and for transgender and non-binary people, it is essential for their safety and security. GLAD continues to work across New England to ensure everyone can access ID that reflects who they are, without barriers.

State ID illustrationIn August, we supported Rho, a non-binary Granite Stater, in successfully advocating for the New Hampshire DMV to remove barriers in choosing an “X” gender marker on their state-issued driver’s license or ID. Now people do not have to get a medical provider to attest to their non-binary gender identity, which can be a significant barrier to updating their ID. This policy change also applies to anyone changing their gender marker to X, M, or F and means that New Hampshire joins the rest of New England, as well as other states and municipalities, in having a straightforward process for people to have accurate state ID that affirms who they are.

本届会议在缅因州,GLAD consulted on the substance of and 支持 LD 209 – An Act Concerning Name Changes for Minors, which clarifies and streamlines the process by which a parent or guardian can request a name change for a minor child by filing a petition in Probate court. The law drops the requirement to publish notice of the name change, allowing for confidentiality. It sets forth factors for judicial consideration, including the minor’s expressed preference and child’s best interest. We also worked with community partners to pass LD 855 – An Act Regarding the Issuance of a Birth Certificate Following a Gender Marker Change, ensure that new birth certificates issued following a name or gender marker change are not marked as amended, a crucial consideration to protect privacy and safety 为了 transgender individuals.

In Massachusetts, we are working with coalition partners to advocate for An Act Relative to Gender Identity on Massachusetts Identification (S 2282/H 3521) An Act Providing for a Gender-Neutral Designation on State Documents and Identifications (H 3126), bills that would codify a gender-neutral (“X”) designation for all Massachusetts forms and identification documents, including birth certificates.

Racial Impact Statements

A landmark achievement in the Maine 2021 legislative session with the potential to impact the lawmaking process and across systems the enactment of LD 2, An Act to Require the Inclusion of Racial Impact Statements in the Legislative Process. Conceived and sponsored by Assistant House Majority Leader Rachel Talbot Ross, the law provides that any legislation considered in Maine may be evaluated for its racial impact at the request of any legislator or committee. GLAD provided LGBTQ-community testimony in support of LD 2. With the guidance of Black, Brown, Indigenous, and other leaderscommunities of color, looks forward supporting use of this important and innovative tool.

阅读我们半年刊时事通讯《GLAD Briefs》的 2021 年秋季刊。

博客

Young people of various ages outside the MA capitol building holding signs saying: "Trans kids are beautiful" "black kids matter" and "support not separate" some have mobility aids, one holds a stuffed animal

LGBTQ+哟uth 尤其是黑人、棕色人种, 和土著 (有色人种) 年轻人占比过高儿童福利制度受这些系统影响的年轻人面临着失业、无家可归的风险, 以及与刑事法律体系的互动.

贫困、结构性种族主义和反 LGBTQ 偏见都在决定哪些 儿童和 家庭受到政府的影响和分离。同性恋者联盟正在努力确保我们的儿童福利系统 满足 BIPOC LGBTQ+ 青少年的照护需求,并推动各州不再采取家庭分离的做法 并朝向 家庭支持。

本届会议在缅因州,GLAD 支持 一个 账单 要求卫生与公众服务部向有需要的家庭提供援助,以满足 基本必需品 防止儿童被带离家. 这项提案 认识到什么是 频繁地 标记为 忽视 因此家庭分离的原因是 简单地 贫困,需要国家 在带走孩子之前,先解决根本原因。虽然 LD 396, 很遗憾, 本届会议未通过, 连续ing 推动此类变革 以便资源集中用于支持儿童和家庭,而不是分离他们.

在马萨诸塞州, 儿童福利倡导者, 包括 GLAD, 多年来一直呼吁马萨诸塞州儿童和家庭部 (DCF) 做出改变 作为回应 高调 灾难性事件 儿童与家庭服务部 (DCF) 监管下的青少年的日常失误。

八月, 在 GLAD 的贡献和参与下, 马萨诸塞州 LGBTQ 委员会+ 青年发布了一份报告 DCF 所致的治疗和结果 孩子们 得出一个简单的结论: 被儿童家庭服务部 (DCF) 拘留的 LGBTQ+ 青少年正面临危机. 随着 令人震惊 发现, 该报告提供 清除 洞察力 改进 年轻人的生活已经 系统, 提供 为家庭提供更多支持 起源 以及寄养家庭,以及 训练 工作人员和其他专业人员 具体且及时 LGBT 的需求T+ 青年。

自从我被安排在一个全男生项目里,开始认定自己是跨性别女性后,寄宿护理的生活变得更加艰难。工作人员大多数时候都误认我的性别。DCF 拒绝了我[性别肯定 关心]… 他们的理由是 不能 冒这个险。 事实上,他们 他们没有给我提供所需的医疗服务,让我面临生命危险。 与南方 一个 DCF 参与历史

作为委员会 主席说 报告导言, DCF 中 LGBTQ 青年的现状十分紧急。 LGBTQ+ 青年体验 的后果 缺乏明确、全面的机构政策确认 他们的身份,一个n 供应不足 支持 安置、工作人员和寄养家庭培训不足、以及长期拖延甚至拒绝进入 必要的医疗保健. 这些缺点 常常导致 健康状况和教育状况不佳, 暴力, 骚扰, 欺凌、自残, 以及其他毁灭性的 影响. 还有这些 受影响最严重的往往是黑人和棕色人种 LGBTQ 青年和跨性别青年, 面临多重偏见和结构性障碍.

作为一名跨性别青少年的寄养家长,我从未见过DCF能够开展与LGBTQ相关的家庭支持工作。他们总是强调父母们没有做到什么,而不是如何帮助他们。我 知道儿童家庭服务部认为他们如何能够帮助家庭团聚,如果他们 有同情心或怜悯之心,如果他们 不是 愿意教育和支持父母。否则,他们的工作就变成了拆散家庭。–寄养父母

GLAD 和我们的 LGBTQ+儿童福利联盟 合作伙伴 正在呼吁 政策制定者和 立法者 立即采取行动改善儿童福利制度 下列 措施:

  • 收集和报告 c全面的交叉数据,使 DCF 和其他负责实体能够追踪 LGBTQ 群体的成果+ 了解并满足年轻人的需求 更好的立法机关应该屁股 关于弱势儿童和家庭问责的法案 (H.239/S.32)要求 DCF 始终 收集报告 交叉性取向和性别认同数据。
  • 发展管理 并实施 全面的 LGBTQ+ 针对所有成年人的政策和培训 WHO 接触 LGBTQ+ 青少年,包括工作人员、寄养家庭和服务提供商。邻近的康涅狄格州、罗德岛州、 佛蒙特州,以及 姐姐 状态 像 DYS 这样的机构 这样的 政策。
  • 立法机关应该 决议 H.211/S.88 设立独立的寄养审查办公室,以提高寄养审查过程的问责制、透明度和监督力度,加强对 DCF 照顾和监护的青少年的保护。
  • 增加 并追踪 LGBTQ 群体的肯定安置情况+ 寄养家庭和集体环境中的青少年。
  • 改进, 让跨性别青年能够更及时地获得性别肯定的医疗保健。
  • 创造离子 明确保护 LGBTQ 群体的法定寄养儿童权利法案+ 青年,包括获得性别肯定的医疗保健。

最终,我花了将近两年的时间才让我的孩子得到她需要的照顾。儿童福利系统内多位专业人士的偏见和恐跨性别情绪阻碍了整个过程。寄养父母没有接受过这方面的培训。你能想象,如果一个孩子最终被送到一个寄养父母对此一无所知的家庭,会发生什么吗? – 寄养父母

研究结果 委员会的 报告很糟糕,但是 我们的倡导 正在工作。 这 势头正在增强, 和 一个 新的 性别肯定 护理政策 生效 9月30日. 今年秋季晚些时候,GLAD 高级律师 Patience Crozier 将与儿童保护和儿童服务机构合作主持一系列培训,主题为 更好的服务 跨性别青年和其他 LGBTQ+ 人群。 还有很多事情要做,但我们正在更加努力 比以往任何时候都 直接地 影响年轻人 人民的 治疗和生命 在州监护下. 如需参与,请访问 GLAD.org/mass-alliance.

 

阅读我们半年刊时事通讯《GLAD Briefs》的 2021 年秋季刊。

金诉日出辅助生活案

Photo of Marie King, wearing a garnet red velvet dress and beaded necklace, her long scarlet hair framing her face. She sits in a wheelchair at 3/4 angle looking at the camera
玛丽·金

更新: Marie King 和 Sunrise Assisted Living 有 达成了具有里程碑意义的和解 在缅因州人权委员会审理的一起案件中。“我很高兴看到这个积极的结果,”金女士说。 了解更多.

 

随着年龄增长,我们都应该得到尊严和尊重。但像我们的客户玛丽·金这样的跨性别老年人,在长期护理机构中遭受着严重的歧视和脆弱。

2021年10月21日, GLAD 提起歧视诉讼 代表78岁的玛丽·金(Marie King)与缅因州人权委员会进行沟通。她因跨性别身份被缅因州琼斯波特的Sunrise Assisted Living拒绝入住。这是美国已知的首例跨性别老年人针对长期护理机构提起的歧视投诉。 阅读文件.

2021年春,投诉人玛丽·金因急性医疗紧急情况入住彭湾医疗中心。金女士的病情稳定后,医务人员确定她无需住院治疗,只需转入辅助生活机构即可。医院的一位社工代表金女士联系了日出辅助生活机构 (Sunrise Assisted Living),并被告知他们有空房。然而,在得知金女士是跨性别者后,日出辅助生活机构的管理人员告知医院,他们不会接收金女士,因为他们担心她想与女性室友同住一个房间,尽管日出辅助生活机构经常安排女性与其他女性共用半私人房间。

格拉德斯蒙德·金代表玛丽·金提出的诉讼声称,Sunrise 公司基于金女士的性别认同、跨性别身份和性别特征对其进行了歧视,而所有这些都受到缅因州人权法案的明确保护。

更新:2022 年 3 月 14 日,缅因州人权委员会以 3 比 2 的投票结果发现有证据证明 Sunrise Assisted Living 因玛丽是跨性别女性而拒绝为她提供房间,违反了州反歧视保护法。 玛丽案的里程碑式发现 是确保任何需要进入长期护理机构的人都能受到礼貌和尊重的一大步。

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