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Hostile Climate Details 300 Incidents in 47 U.S. States 6th Nationwide Chronicle of Homophobic Discrimination |
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Compiled By GayToday
Washington, D.C.-- People For the American Way Foundation (PFAW Foundation) has released
Hostile Climate, its sixth nationwide chronicle of anti-gay discrimination. It can be ordered in
quantity and distributed to public officials. (See below)
This year's report details almost 300 incidents in 47 states, more than twice as many incidents as reported in the 1998 edition. The states that report the highest number of incidents are California (31), Texas (18), Florida (17), and New York (15). Incidents related to marriage and family issues --such as same-gender marriage, adoption, child custody and foster parenting --more than doubled from 20 in 1997 to 42 last year.
This year's report also has a new feature: a series of 14 personal essays by people who have firsthand experience with anti-gay discrimination and the movement to end it. The essayists include:
Carole Shields, President of People For the American Way Foundation, said: "Since Matthew Shepard's death, we have been asking ourselves, as a nation, 'How have we arrived at such a place, where someone could commit such a heinous, heartless crime?' The answer, as this book reveals, is that we start down this path whenever we deny people their basic human rights and dignity. The hostile climate that lesbians and gay men face--with its powerful undertow of partisan rhetoric, public and corporate policy--fosters hate by validating and perpetuating discrimination." PFAW Foundation has received support from the Gill Foundation, a leading philanthropic foundation focusing on justice and equality issues, to establish the Hostile Climate Campaign, an aggressive program for distributing the report to state policy-makers and colleges and universities. As part of the Hostile Climate Campaign, activists will hand-deliver copies of the report to state legislators at the beginning of the legislative sessions in early January. In addition, anyone with Internet access can get involved by visiting www.HostileClimate.org and donating a copy to a legislator, school or library.
Katherine Pease, Executive Director of the Gill Foundation said: "As the lives of gay and lesbian people and families become more visible through policy discussions on the state level - employment non-discrimination, hate crimes, same-sex unions and family issues-- it is critical that the public, the media and policy-makers have accurate information. "Hostile Climate is one of the most comprehensive and well-documented catalogues of discrimination against our community." For more information, to read personal essays, samples of state incidents, and to order copies of Hostile Climate for yourself or needy public officials: www.HostileClimate.org/ |
