Printers 'Facing Action' For Refusing To Make Civil Partnership Invitations

On the same day that the Republic of Ireland is voting on same-sex marriage rights yet another case of a couple receiving discrimination based on their sexuality has moved to the equalities tribunal.

Partners Jonathon Brennan and John Kierans were reportedly turned away when they asked for a printers to make invitations for their civil partnership ceremony at Beulah Print, Drogheda.

In a case that mirrors the now infamous Ashers Bakers incident the young couple were refused service based on the religious views of the business owners, who stated 'We are not against homosexuals, however, we do not support same sex marriage which printing wedding invitations would do'.

They say this despite the fact that Mr Brennan and Mr Kierans were not seeking invitations to a wedding, but a civil partnership, which is totally separate from same sex marriage and entirely legal in the Republic of Ireland.

The case is now in the hands of the equality tribunal and further action may take place if an agreement cannot be reached between the two parties.

Amy.
xx

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Americas Openly Gay Envoy For LGBT Rights To Visit Uganda

American President Barack Obama earlier this year created the position of Special Envoy for LGBT Rights in order to fight anti-LGBT legislation around the world and appointed openly gay senior diplomat Randy Berry to the role.

In one of his first assignments Berry will be facing an incredibly tough challenge as he travels to Uganda this summer, a country with very harsh homosexuality laws where being gay can lead to a sentence of life in prison.

Uganda passed a harsh Anti-Homosexuality Act last year, which increased their already harsh penalties for same-sex relationships.

Despite the law being struck down by Uganda's Constitutional Court after finding that Parliamentary procedures had been abused to pass the law illegally, lawmakers are still planning to pass an even harsher law to replace it.

President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda has fiercely defended his countries politics and their stance on LGBT issues, though by having already stated that he does not want to 'kill our trading opportunities' it may be possible that Berry might be able to convince him to reconsider his stance if given the proper incentive.

Amy.
xx

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Texas University Bans Athletes From Same-Sex Relationships

LeTourneau University in Longview, Texas has just updated their handbook for student athletes, and have made some shocking changes.

According to reports on a number of media websites, it now reads 'Consistent with our desire to celebrate and model a scriptural approach to sexuality, the university prohibits same-sex dating, behaviours and public advocacy for the position that sex outside of a biblical defined marriage is acceptable.'

Whilst some reports have pointed out that the specific ban on students expressing their support for same-sex relationships in public seems to go against the US First Amendment right to free speech it is worth noting that LeTourneau is a private Christian university.  Private universities are not covered by the First Amendment and have a legal right to suppress certain forms of speech.

LeTourneau is not the first American university to speak out against gay rights, earlier thus month Hillside College in Michigan sent a fear mongering email to its student body calling for them to help assist the university to 'destroy the evil' of same-sex marriage.

With same-sex marriage debate's still running across many states in America you have to ask is it truly appropriate for influential organisations such as universities to try and force their views onto their student.

Amy.
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How I Got Stonewall To Change Their Website And How Your Voice Is Important

I'm sure many of you will know about the organisation Stonewall, the LGBT charity in the UK named after the Stonewall Riots.  Stonewall has been around since 1989, and the organisation is actually celebrating it's 26th birthday today.

Despite having been around for so long I was shocked to learn that the organisation hasn't included the transgender community for the majority of its lifetime, having only just announced their plans to campaign for trans equality since mid February this year.

What really shocked me, however, was that despite including the treansgender community in their mission statement for three months their website barely makes mention of transgender people or the charities support for the community.

I read through their 'Brief Overview of Stonewall', 'How We Work' and 'Stonewall Key Priorities' pages and found plenty of mentions of Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual people, but nothing about transgender people.  I knew that some of what they were talking about on the site is in reference to the Section 28 Laws, that specifically apply to Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual people, but there were incidences on the site where they talk about the LGBT community in a general way, but don't talk about the T.

If I'm being honest I didn't like this.  If I'm being brutally honest, it hurt.  Here is an organisation who I believe in, whose praises I have sung and they seem to be ignoring me and people like me.  I didn't like that.

I went to their website and I took pictures of their pages where they left transgender people out, highlighted it ans posted it on Twitter.

I tagged Stonewall's Twitter in the posts, used the Stonewall hashtag and even came up with one of my own, #WheresTheTrans?  I didn't expect much to happen, I thought that maybe a handful of people would see it and that it might get around a little.  What I wasn't expecting though was for Stonewall itself to respond to me within an hour of the first tweet going online.

Stonewall thanked me for pointing out the lack of inclusion of trans people and promised that they would be looking at correcting their website.

The next day I checked their site and found that the changes had not been made, so I once again started Tweeting on the subject.  Some people replied that it had only been a day, that it hadn't been enough time.  I argued that a day was more then enough time to go into a website and add a few words here and there.

It looks like my complaining paid of a second time though as Stonewall responded fast, telling me that they had updated the pages and made the changes.  I checked again and they were true to their word, Transgender was now a part of their website.

Unfortunately there is still one page on their site that so far doesn't mention transgender people where it should, and I have once again pointed it out to Stonewall in a public manner, and hopefully it will again result in changes being made.

I was shocked that a group like Stonewall took the time to listen to my one small voice, and even more surprised that it resulted in change.

But then that's one of the things that I've been telling people for a long time now, that a single voice and make a difference.  One person can get another person talking, and them another, and another and on and on it goes.  Sometimes one lone person pointing out a mistake or challenging a wrong doing can lead to change.

Please let this be a small example to you, don't stay quiet, speak out, fight for what's right because sometimes a single person can make a difference, no matter how small.

Amy.
xx

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Nerd Block Subscription Service Segregating Packages Into Girls and Boys

I'm sure the geeks amongst you out there will have seen the myriad of subscription services available on the Internet that send you a box of random toys, comics and merchandise once a month for an annual fee.  A couple of friends of mine have signed up to one particular service, Loot Crate, and I've seen some of the very cool stuff that they've received through it.

The one thing that I've noticed about these services though is that its a lot of luck to whether you're going to get something that interests you or not.  One month you'll get a box full of fantasy stuff, another it'll be sci-fi, so it's not always guaranteed to be to everyone's tastes.

One service, Nerd Block, however, has attempted to address that by allowing people to choose the type of packages they want to receive.  There's one for video game fans, one for comic book readers, one for horror fans and there's even one for boys and one for girls.  Wait, what?

Unfortunately you read that right.  Nerd Block has made separate packages for children, splitting them by gender. 

The bright pink girls package includes toys such as Furby, Moshy Monsters and My Little Pony whilst the boys package comes in bright blue and contains Star Wars, Pokemon and Angry birds.

Now, I know a little girl that would pick the items from the boys list every single time over the girls, just as I know some boys who think that Furbys are cool or who are into My Little Pony.  I mean, what are you supposed to do if you want to receive My Little Pony toys along with Star Wars merchandise, get two packages?

The forced gendering of children's toys is a ridiculous practice that is massively outdated.  Pink for girls and blue for boys is stupid.  Saying that only boys like Star Wars whilst only girls like cute animals is ludicrous.  I find the whole concept insulting!

7 year old Maggie Cole made headlines for pointing out Tesco's gender segregation.

I know some of you will remember how in November last year a seven year old girl made headline news after her mother Tweeted a photo of her angry at Tesco advertising the Marvel toys she wanted as 'for boys'. 

Some of you aren't going to get this, you're reading this article and you're thinking that it's stupid or pointless or that it doesn't even matter.  But it does matter.  By telling people, especially children, that some things are for males and some things are for females you're helping to re enforce rigid gender roles and stereotypes.  Do you know who benefits from such roles?  Men. 

Men who want women to be subservient to them.  Men who want women to be second to them.  Men who want women's voices to mean less then men's.  Men who want women in the home cooking and cleaning.  Men who don't want things to be equal.

We're living in a society where women are supposed to have 'equal rights' to men, but unfortunately that's just not true.  Men get paid more than women, men get more respect then women, men get more power then women.  Things need to be equal across the genders.  No one should be on top, no one is better than anyone else.

This will be the point where some of you roll your eyes thinking 'shut up you man hating feminist', or some of you might be shrugging your shoulders thinking 'how does this little thing make any difference?'  Well it has nothing to do with hating men, or making women better.  We all need to be the same, that's why it's called equality.  And it does make a difference.  It might not seem like it to you, but by playing along with these kinds of gender segregating views you're not helping to make a better world for the children whose sexist toys you're buying.

Also, Nerd Block, you should be ashamed for making those packages.  Please stop it and be a better company.

Amy.
xx

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