January 29, 2015
Study Lists Many Hardships Still Faced By LGBT People Across The U.S.
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 3 MIN.
On one side, you've got the early January awesomeness that is Florida's same-sex marriage allowances or, nationally, Medicare's not excluding trans-specific healthcare anymore.
But on the other side, you've got the Movement Advancement Project saying there are "deep disparities" remaining for LGBT folk, "including an overwhelming lack of employment nondiscrimination protections, high rates of healthcare discrimination, poorer overall health, and poorer well-being."
That powerful statement is backed up by a study from MAP, a think tank devoted to hardcore research into LGBT issues. The research, "2014 Momentum Report: A Snapshot of Progress and Setbacks for LGBT Equality," focuses on what's transpired in 2014 in regards to LGBT well-being (or lack thereof). The released material also includes an interactive timeline of all the LGBT-centric events that came to us in 2014. Just click on the subjects to read more about them.
"At this time, LGBT people must navigate an unpredictable and nonsensical legal landscape. Same-sex couples can now marry in over a dozen states that otherwise lack almost any kind of other legal equality for LGBT people," said Ineke Mushovic, executive director of MAP. "What this means is that a worker can get married over the weekend, then be fired on Monday because of his or her sexual orientation. Meanwhile, in over 30 states, a person can be denied service in a restaurant or denied housing because they are transgender."
Here are the report's highlights, according to MAP:
The total number of states extending marriage to same-sex couples doubled in 2014, from 17 states plus D.C. at the end of 2013 to 35 states plus D.C. at the end of 2014. The percentage of same-sex couples with the freedom to marry rose from 42 percent at the end of 2013 to 71 percent at the end of 2014.
The federal government announced that it would recognize the marriages of all couples married in states that offer the freedom to marry and the Department of Justice released a comprehensive list of the federal programs and agencies that extend the rights and responsibilities granted through marriage to legally married same-sex couples.
The percent of LGBT people lacking health insurance dropped as millions signed up for insurance offered under the Affordable Care Act.
Medicare's ban on coverage of transgender-specific healthcare was lifted, and the federal government lifted the exclusion of coverage for transgender-specific medical care for its employees.
The FDA shortened the ban on gay and bisexual men giving blood to twelve months after having sex with a man.
The U.S. Department of Education issued guidance confirming that the federal prohibition against sex discrimination in education protects transgender students. In April, the U.S. Department of Education issued guidance confirming that the federal prohibition against sex discrimination in education protects transgender students. Several states and local jurisdictions also took strong steps to protect transgender students in 2014.
Transgender service members are still not permitted to serve openly. In 2014, several public figures, including former Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James, spoke about the need to update military regulations to allow open service by transgender people.
States and local jurisdictions continue to ease the process for changing gender markers on one's birth certificate.
LGBT people of color rose to several important federal positions, including judicial appointments.
Many LGB elected officials were re-elected. Massachusetts elected the first openly lesbian attorney general in the United States, Maura Healey.
2014 was a year of heightened visibility for transgender people in popular culture. Actress Laverne Cox appeared on the cover of Time magazine in May 2014 and in November was declared one of Glamour's Women of the Year.
Michael Sam came out as an openly gay college football player and became the first openly gay player to be drafted to the NFL.
Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, came out as gay in October, becoming one the most powerful openly gay business leaders in the world.
How was your own LGBT 2014? Let us know at Facebook.com/SouthFloridaGayNews.
To learn more about MAP, go to lgbtmap.org. To check out the 2014 timeline from MAP, go to lgbtmap.org/2014-timeline
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
