JAN. 6: GLAD & VARIOUS OFFICIALS ISSUE JAN. 6 STATEMENTS

Pres. Biden, VP Harris condemn Jan. 6th insurrection and attack on democracy

GLAD’s ED, other leaders issue statements too

U.S. President Joe Biden remarks from the site of the insurrection condemned the acts of terror a year ago during the riots on January 6 at the U.S. Capitol and also centered on Trump’s attempts to overthrow the 2020 election. “We will make sure the will of the people is heard,” said the President at the Capitol’s Statuary Hall. “That the battle prevails, not violence. That the authority of this nation will always be peacefully transferred. I believe the power of the presidency is to unite this nation, to lift us up, not tear us apart.” Lawmakers reflected on the attack and Vice President Kamala Harris spoke about the “fragility of democracy.” In a letter (https://bit.ly/344rEHg) to his Democratic colleagues earlier this month, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote that the rioters and all who participated in the January 6 insurrention were “fueled by conspiracy and the ravings of a vengeful former president.

“As we all are witnessing, the attacks on our democracy have not ceased. In fact, they have only accelerated. Much like the violent insurrectionists who stormed the US Capitol nearly one year ago, Republican officials in states across the country have seized on the former president’s Big Lie about widespread voter fraud to enact anti-democratic legislation and seize control of typically non-partisan election administration functions.

Statement from GLAD

In Massachusetts, GLAD Executive Director Janson Wu issued a statement too.

“As LGBTQ+ people, as with every community and constituency in this country, our fates are tied to the survival of our democracy. It is a question of whether or not our voices will be heard, whether our communities will be represented and protected, and whether those who spread lies and foment fear in order to gain power will be held accountable. That is why we must do all we can to secure and strengthen our democratic institutions, including the fundamental right to vote. And it is why we must fully reckon with what happened one year ago today so that it never happens again.”

Michigan Attorney General

Michigan AG Dana Nessel issued the following statement:

“The unprecedented attack on our democracy last year made clear that the biggest threat we face in maintaining our Constitution and all that this country stands for comes from within our own borders, fueled by seditious conspiracies and alternate realities that

IN THE LIMELIGHT continue to be peddled today. Some will respond to today’s anniversary by doubling down on the dangerous lies that led to the January 6 riot. Others will say we must move on as a country as if the heinous scenes we collectively witnessed never happened. I refuse to let this day pass without recognizing the damage done and the very real threat that remains. I also send my heartfelt gratitude to the brave members of law enforcement who defended the Capitol that day, and honor those we lost in the days and months following as a result of the attack. Like many, I have heard the first-hand accounts from on-duty officers who put themselves in harm's way that day. They defended our nation's founding principles and deserve our utmost respect for their service and sacrifice. “Those who have pushed unfounded claims of election fraud are deliberately chipping away at our democratic foundation in an effort to make last year's attempt to overturn the will of American voters a successful, authoritarian outcome in future elections. We must continue to fight for our free and fair elections, and I remain committed to upholding democracy.” Following the insurrection, Nessel joined a bipartisan coalition of 50 states, territories and the District of Columbia condemning the attack (https://bit.ly/3nefrG6).

Third Way Statement

“It is important in our civic life to pause to remember heroism and sacrifice in the face of evil. So today, we join the rest of civilized America in reflecting on our collective debt to the Capitol and Metro Police officers who battled for hours with a mob intent on invading our republic’s most sacred spaces and committing violence against some of our most senior leaders. It cost some officers their lives, and many others suffered grievous injuries to their bodies, their psyches, or both. We join a grateful nation in saluting their courage and devotion to duty. “But another important exercise on this awful anniversary is to work to ensure that January 6 remains only past and not prologue. The former president who sparked the insurrectionist violence has continued his seditionist rantings, and his party’s elected officials – including most Republicans in Congress – have become his Amen Choir. One year ago, 147 Republicans members of the House and Senate voted against their nation, their Constitution, and their oath by refusing to certify the democratically elected Joe Biden. One year later, many of these same members as well as others are engaged in an active plot to steal the next presidential election, after Trump and the rioters failed to do so last time. We will use this solemn day to vow to do everything we possibly can to stop them.”

First LGBTQ+ families secure parentage protections in Connecticut

Landmark Connecticut Parentage Act takes effect

HARTFORD—Earlier this month, the first LGBTQ+ parents in Connecticut signed Acknowledgments of Parentage to secure equal legal protections for their children and familie---s. Federal law requires states to provide a simple civil process for acknowledging parentage upon the birth of a child, the Acknowledgment of Parentage program. Properly executed, an Acknowledgment of Parentage has the binding force of a court order and should be treated as valid recognition of parentage in all states. Until the Connecticut Parentage Act went into effect this month, same-gender parents in the state were not eligible to sign Acknowledgments to secure their parentage, putting a lengthy and costly burden on LGBTQ+ parents and leaving many children vulnerable.

Stephanie and Denise Ocasio-Gonzalez (https://bit.ly/35v1tcZ), parents of a 2-year-old and a 14-year-old, and Emily Pagano and Rachel PrehodkaSpindel (https://bit.ly/3rdfuEN), parents of 7.5-month-old twins and a 3-year-old, advocated as part of the We Care Coalition to pass the landmark Connecticut Parentage Act last year and spoke out (https://bit.ly/342pQOY) about the harms the state’s outdated and unequal parentage laws caused their children. Both sets of parents signed Acknowledgments of Parentage this morning at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford.

Emily Pagano and Rachel PrehodkaSpindel (https://bit.ly/3rdfuEN) signed Acknowledgments securing parentage for all three of their children.

“Signing the Acknowledgments of Parentage today, knowing our three children are now fully protected and we will both finally be recognized as their legal parents is a tremendous relief,” said Emily Pagano. “As unmarried parents, we’ve faced frustrating and sometimes scary hurdles just trying to take care of our kids. Rachel wasn’t allowed to be a voting member of the Parents Committee at our 3year-old Dylan’s public pre-school because she wasn’t seen as a legal parent. And when our entire family came down with COVID recently Rachel wasn’t permitted to act as Dylan’s medical proxy, delaying our ability to get our child’s test results. We are so grateful that we won’t have to fight these types of battles anymore, and neither will other Connecticut families. We’re proud of our work advocating for the Connecticut Parentage Act as part of the We Care Coalition and are thrilled to be part of this historic day.”

Stephanie and Denise Ocasio-Gonzalez (https://bit.ly/35v1tcZ)were able to sign an Acknowledgment of Parentage today securing Denise’s parentage of their 2-year-old daughter, who was born to Stephanie during the couple’s marriage.

“As a married couple, we are grateful to have access to this acknowledgment of parentage to secure our child wherever we travel,” said Stephanie Ocasio-Gonzalez. “LGBTQ+ parents still experience discrimination in other jurisdictions, and having access in Connecticut to a simple form that operates as the equivalent of a court decree gives us the protection and security we’ve been waiting for.”

Denise has been the second parent to the couple’s 14-year-old son since he was 3 years old. Once the de facto parent provisions of the Connecticut Parentage Act go into effect on July 1 they will be able to secure Denise’s legal parentage of their son as well.

“Although we will have to wait another six months to protect our older child through the de facto parent provisions, we are thrilled to be so much closer to having full security for our entire family,” added Stephanie. “It has been empowering to play a role in educating people about the barriers families like ours have faced, and in making Connecticut a place where all families are recognized and protected.”

Legal parentage protects children by ensuring parents have clear responsibilities and rights like providing health insurance, decision-making for medi-

Proposal from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services would reinstate Obama-era rules for coverage plan, helping LGBTQ+ people

Biden administration restores sexual orientation & gender identity to ACA, removed under Trump admin.

By: Delphine Luneau*

Human Rights Campaign The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) praised the proposed rule changes published recently by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that would require health insurance plans (https://bit.ly/3JYcrrc) offered through the Affordable Care Act to once again recognize sexual orientation and gender identity as protected characteristics. The rules change would reverse moves taken under the Trump administration that removed sexual orientation and gender identity from the regulations by once again ensuring that exchanges, issuers, and agents and brokers are prohibited from discriminating based on sexual orientation and gender identity. “This proposed rule change is yet another sign of the Biden administration stepping up to make tangible changes that will provide a real difference in the lives of LGBTQ+ people,” said Sarah Warbelow, Legal Director for the Human Rights Campaign. “Allowing health insurance plans and exchanges to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity runs contrary to the core principle of the Affordable Care Act – to provide comprehensive, low-cost or no-cost health care coverage for everyone. Given that LGBTQ+ people, especially Black and Brown LGBTQ+ people, are known to face widespread discrimination when it comes to health care access and outcomes, HRC is eager to see this proposed rule go into effect.”

Among its provisions, the proposed rule would also prohibit states from operating an exchange that discriminates based on sexual orientation and gender identity. It also labels discriminatory health care plans that exclude coverage of gender-affirming treatment for transgender people, and it has additional requirements for ensuring that marketing around health care plans issued through the Affordable Care Act are not discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

According to the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law (https://bit.ly/3tgBCj6), about 15% of LGBTQ+ people in the U.S. are uninsured, compared to 12% of nonLGBTQ+ people. The LGBTQ+ population is also more likely to be unemployed (9% vs. 5%) or to have an annual salary below $24,000 (25% vs. 18%), both factors that can make it difficult to obtain health insurance. In 2021, HRC called attention to a report (https://bit.ly/3F8QIt6) from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that showed LGBTQ+ people were more susceptible to the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that 37% of LGBTQ adult smokers smoke every day compared to 27% of non-LGBTQ people; 21% of LGBTQ adults have had asthma, compared to 14% of nonLGBTQ people; and one in five

IN THE LIMELIGHT LGBTQ adults aged 50 and above have diabetes.

... LAMBDA LEGAL SHOWS THAT 56% OF LGB PEOPLE AND 70% OF TRANSGENDER AND GENDER NON-CONFORMING PEOPLE

REPORTED EXPERIENCING DISCRIMINATION BY HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS.

Former United States’ President, Barack Obama, speaking on the recovering housing sector in 2015 at Central High School in Phoenix, Arizona.

See LGBTQ+ Health On Page 11

WASHINGTON—The National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) and partners are excited to launch the 2022 U.S. Trans Survey Pledge (USTS) at ustranssurvey.org. Through the USTS Pledge, members of the trans community can now sign up to receive information about the survey, learn how to participate and pledge to take the survey when it is released in 2022.  “NCTE is proud to partner with the Black Trans Advocacy Coalition, TransLatin@ Coalition, National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance, and other organizations that serve trans people nationwide on the 2022 U.S. Trans Survey,” said Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen, executive director of NCTE. “The Black Trans Advocacy Coalition is incredibly excited to be a partner for the 2022 U.S. Trans Survey, the leading source for insight into the reallife experiences of the trans community. As the largest trans survey in the U.S., we know that it’s critical to ensure that the experiences of as many Black binary and nonbinary trans people as possible are captured in the survey,” said Carter Brown, national executive director of BTAC.  “We are encouraging everyone to be a part of history and pledge to take the 2022 U.S. Trans Survey.” 

“Our organization is grateful to partner on such an important milestone for our community with the 2022 U.S. Trans Survey,” said Bamby Salcedo, president and CEO of the Los Angelesbased TransLatin@ Coalition. “The data we will generate as a community will provide support for our continued advocacy for our specific needs.”

Information about the U.S. Trans Survey:  ◊ The U.S. Trans Survey is the largest survey of trans people in the United

States. ◊ The USTS documents the lives and experiences of trans people in the

U.S. and U.S. territories. 

NCTE, partners launch 2022 U.S. Transgender Survey Pledge IN THE LIMELIGHT Take the Pledge! ◊ The U.S. Trans Survey is for all trans people ages 16 and up.  ◊ The USTS is for people of all trans identities, including binary and nonbinary trans identities. See Trans Survey On Page 11

Rainbow PrideDoku — Enjoy!

To our readers, we hope you enjoy a little before, during and after Pride Season. Maybe it’ll help de-stress you too. Good luck! The solution is LGBTQ+ Parents From Page 4

cal care or education, providing for basic needs, or payment of child support and parenting time in the event of separation. The Connecticut Parentage Act, which was signed by Governor Lamont in May 2021 and went into effect January 1, 2022, ensures equal access to legal parentage for all children, including those with unmarried, samegender, or nonbiological parents.

In addition to granting LGBTQ+ parents access to the simple administrative Acknowledgment of Parentage (https://bit.ly/3IPmXQb) form, which can be filled out in the hospital before or after birth or at a Department of Social Services Office for an older child, the CPA also extends accessible paths to parentage for children born through assisted reproduction and strengthens protections for children born through surrogacy.

“Connecticut has been a national leader in the fight to expand and protect the rights of LGBTQ+ people,” said Representative Jeff Currey, lead sponsor of the Connecticut Parentage Act. “With equal access to the Acknowledgment of Parentage program Connecticut’s LGBTQ+ families can now be protected here at home and wherever they travel. I’m proud to see our state take this historic step today to ensure that all children, and all families, are equally protected by our laws.”

“The Connecticut Parentage Act is one of the most child-centered, inclusive, and comprehensive parentage laws in the country,” said Douglas NeJaime, Yale Law Professor and principal drafter of the CPA. “With this law in effect, Connecticut families will now be treated equally, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, or marital status, and LGBTQ+ parents and their children across the state will be more secure.”

The Connecticut Parentage Act is based on the model Uniform Parentage Act of 2017. In addition to Connecticut, California, Maine, Rhode Island, Washington, and Vermont have recently updated their parentage laws to incorporate recommendations in the UPA. A similar bill, the Massachusetts Parentage Act, is currently pending in Massachusetts.

“A secure legal parent-child relationship is core to a child’s long-term stability and well-being, and as of today all Connecticut children have access to that security regardless of the gender or marital status of their parents or the circumstances of their birth,” said Polly Crozier, Senior Staff Attorney at GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders and a leading advocate for updated and inclusive parentage laws. “I hope other states, including neighboring Massachusetts, will soon follow Connecticut’s excellent example by updating their parentage laws to ensure all children have equal access to parentage.”

More information about the Connecticut Parentage Act can be found at glad.org/cpa or law.yale.edu/cpa.