Lawsuit? Lambda Legal

[michael]

Lambda Legal (http://www.lambdalegal.org/in-court/) (in court)

Some Suggested Questions to Ask a Prospective Attorney (http://www.lambdalegal.org/help/suggested-questions-to.html)

Help Desk Online Form (http://www.lambdalegal.org/help/online-form/)

that the Georgia General Assembly discriminated against Lambda Legal client Vandy Beth Glenn, a transgender woman who was fired from her job as Legislative Editor after she told her supervisor that she planned to transition from male to female.

United States District Court Judge Richard Story wrote: "...avoiding the anticipated negative reactions of others cannot serve as a sufficient basis for discrimination and does not constitute an important government interest."

"Today's decision by the Court proved that the Georgia General Assembly isn't above the Constitution," said M. Dru Levasseur, Transgender Rights Attorney at Lambda Legal. "The evidence was clear — Vandy Beth was fired because her boss didn't like who she is, and that kind of treatment is unfair and illegal."
Lambda Legal's lawsuit, filed in July 2008, claimed that Glenn's termination violated the Constitution's Equal Protection guarantee because it treated her differently due to her nonconformity with sex stereotypes and her medical condition. After the State's motion to dismiss failed, the two sides filed motions for summary judgment in September 2009. Using the high standard of scrutiny required for sex discrimination claims, the Court ruled that Georgia General Assembly officials violated the Constitution and discriminated against Glenn by terminating her for failing to conform to gender stereotypes. Using a lower standard of review, the Court rejected the second Equal Protection claim that Glenn was discriminated against on the basis of her medical condition.

Lambda Legal Denounces Gay Restriction in Custody Arrangements (http://www.lambdalegal.org/news/pr/ga_20090218_lambda-denounces-gay-restriction-in-custody-arrangements.html)
— Lambda Legal yesterday filed an amicus brief in the Georgia Supreme Court arguing that an antigay restriction in a custody arrangement should not stand. "The Court should do what it always does in divorce cases with custody issues, which is to focus on the needs of the children — placing a blanket ban on 'exposure' to gay people hardly helps a gay dad maintain his relationship with his children," said Beth Littrell, Staff Attorney in Lambda Legal's Southern Regional Office based in Atlanta. "What the ban does do is perpetuate prejudice and stigma against an entire group of people based solely on their sexual orientation, and that is just plain wrong." (for complete story follow the links)

The Case is Mongerson v. Mongerson (http://www.lambdalegal.org/in-court/cases/mongerson-v-mongerson.html).

Beth Littrell (http://www.lambdalegal.org/about-us/staff/beth-littrell.html), Staff Attorney in Lambda Legal's Southern Regional Office in Atlanta, is Lambda Legal's lead counsel on the case.
•1996 Georgia prohibits marriage between same-sex couples by statute. See Georgia Annotated Code § 19-3-3.1 (http://www.legis.state.ga.us/cgi-bin/gl_codes_detail.pl?code=19-3-3.1).


http://www.lambdalegal.org/in-court/cases/etsitty-v-utah-transit-authority.html

http://www.lambdalegal.org/in-court/cases/fischer-v-new-york.html

the “recusal canon” (http://www.lambdalegal.org/in-court/cases/florida-family-policy-council-v-freeman.html)

The actions of the JCPD (http://www.lambdalegal.org/in-court/cases/giles-v-city-of-johnson-city.html) publicizing the photographs of men arrested as part of a sting operation targeting gay and bisexual men, while not similarly publicizing other arrests, are the latest chapter in a long history of police departments' unequal treatment of members of the public based on their actual or perceived sexual orientation.

Glenn v. Brumby et. al. (http://www.lambdalegal.org/in-court/cases/glenn-v-brumby-et-al.html)
Federal lawsuit filed on behalf of a transgender woman fired from her job as a Legislative Editor after she stated her intention to live as a woman in accordance with her health care providers’ recommendations.

This complaint (http://www.lambdalegal.org/in-court/cases/in-re-judge-connie-glenn.html) highlights Lambda Legal's Fair Courts project, which works to preserve fair and impartial courts. Because LGBT people and those with HIV often rely on the courts to uphold their individual rights, it is essential that judges are not biased against them.

Lambda Legal is solidifying (http://www.lambdalegal.org/in-court/cases/jrv-v-aov.html) LGBT parenting protections by challenging discriminatory custody laws that improperly impose restrictions on custody and visitation based solely on a parent's sexuality and not the quality of one's parenting.

Case (http://www.lambdalegal.org/in-court/cases/lp-v-philadelphia-et-al.html) representing a transgender girl subjected to verbal and physical abuse because of her sexual orientation, gender identity, sex and disability while in the custody of a secure youth detention facility in Philadelphia.

Roach v. Roach n.k.a. Silverwolf (http://www.lambdalegal.org/in-court/cases/roach-v-roach-nka.html)
Case arguing to uphold alimony payments to a Transgender man

[michael]

Regardless of each state’s position (http://www.gafamilylawblog.com/2008/03/joint-custody-a.html) for or against a presumption or preference in favor of joint custody and whether or not it has been specifically authorized, overall there appears to be a growing trend in favor of joint custody and more and more bills are being introduced to adopt a presumption that joint custody is in the best interest of the child unless certain circumstances apply (such as convincing evidence that a parent is unfit or that it would not be in the best interest of the child to award joint custody).
http://www.divorcenet.com/sites/all/themes/swi_images/divorcenet.com/logo.gif Georgia Appeals FAQ (http://www.divorcenet.com/states/georgia/appeals-faq)

[Kiera]

Transgender people suffer persistent inequalities (http://www.lambdalegal.org/issues/transgender-rights/) in all aspects of life that cut across all of Lambda Legal's civil rights priorities. They experience rampant workplace discrimination, may be met with challenges to their parental relationships and struggle with difficulties in obtaining appropriate sex and name designations on their identity documents. Transgender people also face significant hurdles in obtaining appropriate medical coverage, often due to insurance policies' exclusion of coverage for sex reassignment surgery and related treatments. Transgender youth struggle against harassment in schools and institutional barriers to gender expression.
Transgender Rights, essentially Male Rights, are much different from the "transsexual" confusion that otherwise seems prevalent in America society today VS Postgenderism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postgenderism) which, in a nutshell, posits . . . (see link)

[michael]

The Christian Diaz case ( original post (http://www.bakersfield.com/news/columnist/gaspar/x822637951/JOSE-GASPAR-18-year-old-continues-fighting-for-custody-of-son-adopted-to-another-family) )

"First, the judge denied Diaz a fundamental constitutional right to parent his child, for no good reason except that he’s an unmarried father and that the court felt he did not support the pregnancy enough, said Angelucci. Second, the evidence did not support the decision; instead it was based on gender-biased laws that violate the equal protection rights of fathers like Diaz, claims the attorney.

Young mothers have a presumed right to their child; so should young fathers like Diaz, said Angelucci."

Also, the Anne Lynn Montgomery (http://articles.nydailynews.com/2011-06-17/news/29691918_1_teen-student-houston-high-school-sordid-tale) case (how stupid can one get?!)

[michael]

Georgia House of Representatives (http://www.house.ga.gov/en-US/default.aspx)

Georgia State Senate! (http://www.senate.ga.gov/en-US/default.aspx)

Nobody kills for no reason at all and if these people perceive a problem it's because of antiquated attitudes and bad laws that only make the problems worse. This legislation is highly misandric insofar as it only blames and targets men that, being more victimized by ALL, what else do you expect ?

YOU FOOLISH PEOPLE are part & parcel of a greater evil agenda that is tearing family's, religion and this Nation APART !

"N :CRANE, 28TH" I salute you as ONLY dissenting vote ! Plz vote the highlighted Georgia reps OUT OF OFFICE any chance you get !

Dear Colleagues:
A quick Legislative Update:

1) HB 711: Thanks to your calls and immediate action, HB 711 passed out of the Senate on Wednesday and is headed to the Governor for his signature! With Georgia 6th in the nation for the rate at which men kill women, it is time to do something different. HB 711 does just that! It provides prosecutors with additional tools to hold abusers accountable, while also providing more safety for victims and community-based advocates to talk confidentially and honestly about all options for safety - whether the victim chooses to engage in the criminal justice system or not. Representative
Edward Lindsey - a Commission member - sponsored the bill and shepherded it forward with great passion and care, and GCADV's Shelley Senterfitt and GCFV's Chuck Spahos were instrumental in drafting HB 711 and moving it through the Legislature as well.
In the Senate, Senator Bill Hamrick carried the bill, and Sen. Charlie Bethel, Sen. Renee Unterman, and Sen. Jason Carter all spoke passionately in support of the bill from the Senate Floor. All deserve thanks. And, of course, thanks so much to all of you who reached out to your legislators in support of HB 711!

2) HB 342: HB 342 passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday and is now in the Senate Rules Committee. GCFV, GCADV, and the GA Solicitors Association support HB 342. This bill would allow law enforcement to arrest someone for violating a Family Violence bond or probation condition where a judge has specifically ordered the defendant to stay away from a victim. Right now, a person can be arrested for
battering or sexually assaulting an intimate partner, a judge can find sufficient cause to issue a Family Violence bond condition that specifically orders the defendant to stay away from the Family Violence victim, and the defendant can bond out of jail and go straight back to the victim's residence or workplace to make contact. In that potentially terrifying situation, unless the contact is violent or illegal in some other way, law enforcement cannot immediately arrest the defendant on the scene. Instead, law enforcement must go back to court to get a warrant or initiate a probation revocation. HB 342 would allow law enforcement to arrest in such circumstances, even for nonviolent contact. To move HB 342 out of the Rules Committee and onto
the Senate Floor for a vote, please contact members of the Senate Rules Committee TODAY. Rules Committee members are listed below and their contact information is available at http://www.senate.ga.gov/committees/en-US/committee.aspx?Committee=83&Session=21 you for the work you do to stop family violence in Georgia!

Greg Loughlin
Executive Director
GA Commission on Family Violence
Greg.loughlin@gaaoc.us [mailto:Greg.loughlin@gaaoc.us]

Senate Rules Committee Members
Balfour, Don Chairman
Hamrick, Bill Vice Chairman
Mullis, Jeff Secretary
Cowsert, Bill Ex-Officio
Goggans, Greg Ex-Officio
Staton, Cecil Ex-Officio
Bulloch, John Member
Butler, Gloria S. Member
Grant, Johnny Member
Henson, Steve Member
Hill, Jack Member
Hooks, George Member
Rogers, Chip Member
Shafer, David Member
Tolleson, Ross Member
Unterman, Renee S Member
Williams, Tommie Member
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[michael]

Another a Lambda Legal same sex case in favor of two females ? (http://lambdalegal.org/news/nv_20120410_federal-lawsuit-seeking)