“Don’t Say Gay” Protest: Thousands Urge FL School to Reverse Student’s Suspension

Jack Petocz was suspended from Flagler Palm Coast High School in Florida yesterday after organizing a walkout in protest of Florida’s proposed “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Today, a petition asking to rescind Jack’s suspension is one of the fastest-growing petitions on Change.org.

“Principal Schwartz gave explicit permission and approval to the organizers for the walkout to happen, despite cutting our time and changing the location repeatedly,” explains Cameron Driggers, a student who started the petition. “This act of retaliation is utterly disgusting. We demand that Jack’s suspension be rescinded immediately and that he receives a personal apology from Principal Schwartz.”

Controversy around the proposed “Don’t Say Gay” bill has inspired a wave of activity on Change.org over the past few weeks. More than 30,000 have signed this petition opposing the bill, and other petitions with the same demand have gathered more than 11,000 signatures. Others have gone after the corporations that have funded the politicians who introduced the legislation, like this petition with more than 3,000 asking Walgreens to speak out against the bill.

Gay blood ban: After HIV milestone, thousands demand changes in the U.S.

Researchers recently announced that HIV now infects more heterosexual people than gay or bisexual men in the U.K. The news rippled across the pond, where the U.S. is facing the worst blood shortage crisis in more than a decade. Now, more than 27,000 people have signed a petition on Change.org asking the FDA to end its discriminatory blood deferral policy.

“In a time where we are fighting a global pandemic and in desperate need of blood, gay and bi men are still unable to easily donate our perfectly healthy and usable blood.” Jason Johnson explains in the petition he created on Change.org. “Currently the FDA requires that men who have sex with men must abstain from sex for three months before donating blood.”

Editorial: Sign the petition asking Denver Area Council of Boy Scouts of America to reject anti-gay policies

By Tammie Weitzman

We, the Scouts and community members of Thornton, Broomfield, Westminster Colorado urge the Denver Area Council to reject the Boy Scouts of America's anti-gay policy.

I find it actually is the opposite of what scouts claims to be for, teaching boys to respect differences amongst all people. Things like being fair, to do your duty to God and your country, to help other people and take care of out community. Everyone also interprets God in their own way, Scouts can earn their religious badge for Buddism, Muslimism as well as Christianity.

Among service organizations, the Boy Scouts are increasingly isolating themselves with their discriminatory policy. Organizations including the Girl Scouts, the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, as well as the 4H Club all welcome gay kids as well as adult leaders. Boy Scouts in other countries do not have an anti-gay policy, I believe it is time to end this practic here in America

We love the Boy Scouts, but we can’t support this policy. That's why we urge you to speak out against the ban on gay Scouts and leaders and adopt an inclusive policy like other troops, packs, councils, and lodges across the country have done -- so the Boy Scouts can maintain its relevancy, improve recruitment, and truly live by the principles it teaches its members.

Both President Barack Obama and former governor Mitt Romney have joined Scouts for Equality to help end the anti-gay policy in Boy Scouts.

100 years is too long for this antiquated rule.

Thank you for your time and consideration in this important manner.

Click here to sign the petition.

NOTE: We encourage everyone to join this campaign, but if you're a current or former Scout or leader, please say so in the "Why People Are Signing" section. Thanks!

Sign this Change.org petition to speak out against Uganda's 'Kill The Gays' bill

The Ugandan legislature could vote any day on a so-called “Kill the Gays” bill that could result in legalizing the death penalty for any LGBT person in the country. But Citibank and Barclays together have hundreds of millions of dollars invested in Uganda and wield significant influence in the country, just as banking lobbyists wield influence with Congress in the US. If Citibank and Barclays speak out against the "Kill the Gays" bill, Ugandan legislators will take notice in a hurry.

Collin Burton is a Citibank customer -- he’s also gay. Collin started a petition on Change.org asking Citibank and Barclays to speak out against the "Kill the Gays" bill. Click here to sign Collin’s petition right now.

Citibank and Barclays are both big supporters of LGBT rights for their own employees, yet they invest money with a government that is threatening to execute LGBT people. "I expect Citibank and Barclays to live up to the values of equality and fairness, not just list them on their websites," Collin says.

If Citibank and Barclays speak out against the "Kill the Gays" bill, Ugandan legislators will see that they are risking the business relationships that keep their government afloat.

Ask President Obama to protect millions of LGBT Americans from workplace discrimination

President Obama has an executive order on his desk that could protect millions of LGBT Americans from discrimination in the workplace -- but only if he signs it.

The order in question would require all federal contractors to extend non-discrimination and harassment protections for their LGBT employees. The order would cover about 16 million workers who don’t currently receive any discrimination or harassment protections for sexual orientation or gender identity.

As an employment rights attorney, Tico Almeida knows all too well how badly this order is needed. So Tico started a petition on Change.org asking President Obama to sign the executive order that would extend non-discrimination protections to all LGBT employees of federal contractors. Click here to sign Tico’s petition.

Tico also knows that online petitions can make a big difference in cases like these: After a former employee of a major defense contractor, DynCorp, received a six-figure settlement for being called “f*ggot” and other slurs at work, Tico started a petition on Change.org urging DynCorp to adopt non-discrimination protections for LGBT employees. After more than 50,000 folks signed, DynCorp came through. 

The executive order on President Obama’s desk has already cleared key hurdles at the Departments of Labor and Justice. President Obama has already made great strides on issues like “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” -- now he could do so much more with just one stroke of his pen, and he needs to know how many people are counting on him.

Click here to sign Tico’s petition asking President Obama to sign the executive order that would require federal contractors to protect their LGBT employees from discrimination and harassment. 

The power of Change.org

New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof marvels at the successes of those who’ve started petitions on Change.org, a growing company with offices opening across the globe. 

Users of the platform helped close a network of clinics in Ecuador aimed at turning lesbians heterosexual, and in the U.S. its campaigns contributed to changes in the policies of major corporations.

Sign the Change.org petition against 'corrective rape'

Earlier this year Millicent Gaika, a 30-year-old South African woman, was tied up, beaten, strangled, tortured and raped for five hours by a man as he screamed that he would “cure” Millicent of her lesbianism.

Ndumie Funda, a local community activist whose lesbian partner was murdered in the course of a similar “corrective rape,” reached out to Millicent through a small local charity she set up to rescue and support survivors of “corrective rape.” But last month they both had to go into hiding after the South African government released the perpetrator they had helped to jail on 60 rand (less than $10) bail.

Ndumie, Millicent and others decided to fight back against the rapists and the lack of accountability for their crimes. From a Cape Town safehouse for survivors of ‘corrective rape,’ the women created a petition on Change.org targeting South African Justice Minister Jeffrey Radebe.

Please, they wrote, declare 'corrective rape' a hate crime, which would both empower and require South African police to take a harder line on the vicious crime.

Click here to add your name to the petition.

Homo for the Holidays: Sign the Change.org Gay Rights Petitions

The holidays are fast approaching and what better gift could you give to yourself and rest of the GLBT community than to sign one - or all - of the Gay Rights Petitions over at Change.org?

10 gay court cases that changed our world

It's a couple of years old but Change.org's list of the Ten LGBT Court Cases that Changed the Gay Rights Movement is still an important one.

Number one is Romer v. Evans - the good old Amendment 2 case. I was covering the election for The Lambda Report the day Amendment 2 originally passed and can still feel the excitement and anger that was in the air as everybody who was downtown watching the results took to the streets led by such Colorado notables as Roy Romer and Pat Schroeder.

I'm gonna have to track down that old footage one of these days.

But in these days of Don't Ask, Don't Tell and marriage equality court cases, maybe there's something we can learn from these successful verdict about how to make sure we win these fights too.

Gold's Gym anti-gay?

Change.org wants you to meet Robert Rowling, the CEO of TRT Holdings, the company that owns Gold's Gym. Rowling is one of the richest men in America and he's giving millions of dollars to an organization founded by Karl Rove, which in turn is using that money to support politicians who believe LGBT people are "perverts" and who want to amend the U.S. Constitution to ban gay marriage.

Arrested for legal medical marijuana?

Change.org reports on medical marijuana arrests in California saying, "As a candidate, President Obama said he'd put a stop to the controversial raids on medical marijuana patients and their providers who complied with state law. James Stacy (pictured), the owner of a marijuana collective in San Diego County, listened. Now he faces a trial on federal drug charges where he's not even allowed to tell the truth: that what he was doing was legal under a California law approved by voters 14 years ago."

As of this writing, more than 1,000 Change.org members have come to Stacy's defense by adding their names to a list calling for reform. You can read the entire article here. Could this happen here in Colorado where medical marijuana was recently legalized?