Get ready for a “behind-the-scenes” look at special events at GLAD. With three new interns, the events team has more than doubled this year. We’re the bells and whistles people - we make sure everything runs smoothly by managing data, engaging with donors, and investigating great places for events. We’ll be regularly blogging about what we’re focused on and what’s on the horizon.
Meet the team who will be bringing you all of these amazing GLAD events:
Suzanne Artis on one of the many ways DOMA hurts her family at tax time: "I don’t like to have to divide [my children] up. They’re not property, they’re my family."
Like most of us right now, you are probably working on, or
thinking about, filing your federal and state income tax returns.For married same-sex couples, the Federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) makes tax time extra stressful - as the New York Times pointed out yesterday. Because
of DOMA, the federal government – and some
states - will not allow you to file your taxes as the married couple or family
that you are.
GLAD has led the fight to knock out DOMA through litigation
and public education since same-sex couples first began marrying in 2004.
Currently, we are orchestrating the critical friend-of-the-court briefing
strategy in the DOMA challenge being heard by the Supreme Court this session, Windsor v. United States.We anticipate that the Supreme Court will
rule on DOMA’s constitutionality by the end of June.If DOMA is ruled unconstitutional, most of
the federal discrimination married
same-sex couples experience should end.
See the end of this post for information on how you may be
able to preserve a claim to a refund of federal taxes you over paid due to
DOMA, if and when the law is finally declared unconstitutional.
But first, since we are still living with DOMA for now, we
have put together a summary of how to file your state and federal taxes, with
links to our more comprehensive resources.
Today is National GSA Day! GSAs, or Gay Straight Alliances, can help make schools more welcoming, empowering and safer for LGBTQ students.
If you attend a school that receives federal funding - that's all public schools and even many private schools - you have a right to form a GSA if your school allows anyextracurricular groups.
Your school cannot treat your GSA any differently. This means you get the same rights, privileges and access as any other group or club.
If you have questions about forming a GSA or encounter problems at your school, email GLAD's Legal InfoLine at www.glad.org/rights or call us at 800-455-GLAD.
GLAD is expanding our Youth Initiative with the goals of
both fighting for additional rights and protections for LGBTQ youth and, of
equal importance, empowering LGBTQ youth through knowledge of the many rights
and protections that currently exist in New England.Knowledge is power. If you know your rights,
you’ll know when they are being violated. GLAD can work with you to make sure that
you are treated justly both in and out of school.
A Creating Change Workshop Session with
LGBT Movement Leaders from China and Taiwan
Post by Laura Kiritsy, Manager of Public Education
It’s hard to know where to start when trying to wrap up my
experience at this year’s Creating
Change, the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force’s annual conference for
LGBT activists and leaders, which took me, along with my colleagues Eva Boyce,
Janson Wu and Robbie Samuels, to Atlanta last week. I’m still savoring memories
of Krispy Kreme donuts, which were readily available in the Hilton Atlanta
lobby. With all due respect to Dunkin’ Donuts, I’m still baffled by Krispy
Kreme’s crash and burn in New England.
But I digress. Carb-laden confections certainly were not the
best thing about this year’s Creating Change.
This week during No Name Calling Week, schools and
organizations across the country are working to raise awareness of the need to
stop the bullying and harassment of LGBTQ people.
Despite the fact that all six New England states have hate crime protections
for gay men and lesbians, four of the six have explicit hate crime protections
for transgender people, and all six have some of the strongest anti-bullying laws in the country, GLAD’s Legal InfoLine continues to receive calls from LGBT
people who have been attacked after leaving a gay bar, students who are being
so badly harassed at school because of their gender identity or sexual
orientation that they no longer feel it is safe for them to attend, and victims
of same-sex domestic violence who are not taken seriously by the police, just
to name a few troubling issues.
