Articles from the Constitution State
A happy anniversary
Though Out Film CT held its annual film fest virtually this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it marked the 33rd year of the event.
Most films were shown online with a select few films shown at the Parkade Drive-In.
“Since its inception, the Connecticut LGBTQ Film Festival has been about sharing LGBTQ stories with our community and its allies,” said Festival Director Shane Engstrom. “With the uncertainty surrounding the trajectory of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have switched to a virtual format that will allow our audience to safely experience more movies than ever before. With this shift, we [were] able to screen more full-length features, documentaries and short films—well over 100 movies in total.”
“For people who have exhausted all the LGBTQ content on Netflix and Hulu during quarantine, this [was] a goldmine of new films to enjoy.”
Plus some of the films had storylines tied to Connecticut, including one documentary about John Boswell, a Catholic historian from New Haven. Another starred Maggie Cassella, a lawyer from Hartford.
Fight over trans student athletes
As the new school year began in Connecticut, The US Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights sent a letter to the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference threatening to cut federal education funding and face other penalties if trans girls and women are allowed to continue competing.
The letter was signed by Kimberly Richey, assistant secretary for the Office of Civil Rights (OCR).
“OCR is wrong, and Connecticut is ready to fight back,” responded the state’s Attorney General William Tong in a statement.
“Like Connecticut’s own laws, Title IX forbids discrimination against girls in schools and interscholastic sports. Transgender girls are girls, full stop. The Office of the Attorney General will continue to defend every Connecticut resident, including our transgender residents, against discrimination, hate, and bigotry.”
Queer POC Soiree
The Triangle Community Center continues to host their Queer People of Color Soiree on the fourth Friday of every month via Zoom.
The next fête takes place on Nov. 27.
“This social program provides an outlet for queer individuals of color to talk about their unique experiences and brainstorm ideas on how to increase visibility in the LGBTQ community,” says TCC. “The group also shares experiences with the LGBTQ community through creative outlets such as poetry, songwriting, and storytelling. The Soirée provides a supportive group aimed at creating a safe space and community, a place to discuss the daily navigation of oppression, and a place to be visible, uplifted, and connected to one another.”
More: ctpridecenter.org
HealthCare Leaders
Eight health care centers in the Constitution State earned the distinction of 2020 LGBTQ Healthcare Equality Leader from the Human Rights Campaign, earning a perfect score of 100.
They are Bridgeport Hospital, Greenwich Hospital, Yale New Haven Hospital, Lawrence + Memorial Hospital in New London, Reproductive Medicine Associates of Connecticut in Norwalk, Middlesex Hospital in Middletown, University of Connecticut Student Health and Wellness in Storrs and the VA Connecticut Health Care System in West Haven.
Scores were based on four criteria: LGBTQ patient-centered care, patient services and support, employee benefits and policies, and patient and community engagement. For the second year, health care centers also had to offer transgender-inclusive benefits to employees to be named as leaders.
“The health care facilities participating in the HRC Foundation’s Healthcare Equality Index (HEI) are not only on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, they are also making it clear from their participation in the HEI that they stand on the side of fairness and are committed to providing inclusive care to their LGBTQ patients,” said HRC President Alphonso David.
