News from the Pine Tree State
Assisted living win
Seventy-nine-year-old Marie King has won a victory for transgender equality.
When King was denied a room in Sunrise Assisted Living’s facility in Jonesport because she is transgender, GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) filed a complaint on her behalf with the Maine Human Rights Commission. In March, the Commission found there were reasonable grounds that an assisted living facility violated state nondiscrimination law.
By June, Sunrise and the Commission reached a landmark settlement in favor of King.
“Under the terms of the settlement,” reports GLAD, “Adult Family Care Homes of Maine (AFCH), which operates Sunrise and eight other facilities in the state, will adopt a comprehensive transgender nondiscrimination policy. Additionally, all employees and administrators at all nine facilities will attend LGBT-competency training provided by SAGE Care, the leading such training provider for agencies serving older adults. AFCH will also prominently post a transgender nondiscrimination statement on the company’s website.”
“I’m thrilled to see this positive outcome,” said Ms. King in a GLAD press release. “I believe the new policies will keep others from experiencing mistreatment and will help people understand that transgender people are only seeking to be treated with dignity and respect like anyone else.”
The nondiscrimination policy on Sunrise’s website will state that all their facilities provide “a welcoming and inclusive environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender residents” and “treat transgender individuals in accordance with their gender identity in all aspects of admissions, placement, and programming.”
OUT Maine appoints Campbell
“The OUT Maine board of directors is thrilled to announce the appointment of Sue Campbell as executive director,“ said OUT Maine Board Chairs Melissa Bellew and Emily Cantillo in a press release.
Campbell has served as Interim Executive Director since May and was OUT Maine’s Deputy Director previously. She has been with OUT Maine since 2015, overseeing OUT Maine’s programming, educational outreach, and operations.
“I am very proud and honored to lead this great organization as we continue to pursue systemic change that creates a better world for all,” said Sue Campbell in the release. “I look forward to building strategic partnerships and continuing to build on this incredible legacy which has already contributed so much to our community.”
“OUT Maine is a leader in designing community-based, target programming and training that lifts up LGBTQ+ youth in Maine’s isolated and under-resourced regions,” stated Bellew and Cantillo in the release. “We stand strong and fight to protect LGBTQ+ youth in Maine against the ever-growing threats against LGBTQ+ youth. Sue’s demonstrated leadership and commitment to the rights of LGBTQ+ youth in Maine are unparalleled. OUT Maine’s Board of Directors stands ready to continue our work for Maine’s LGBTQ+ youth under Sue’s leadership.”
LGBTQ+ history
Interested in LGBTQ+ history in the Pine Tree State?
Check out the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer+ Collection at the University of Southern Maine.
Part of the Jean Byers Sampson Center for Diversity in Maine, the collection consists of personal papers and archives of organizations active in the LGBTQ+ communities of Maine, according to USM’s website. The manuscript collections date from the 1970s to the present. There are also rare or unique print materials about the community (all 1970s or later), including a unique series of 42 newspapers by community groups around the state. The collection focuses on historical sources, excluding creative works of fiction or art, unless such works that document the community.
“If we do not preserve primary resources, we’ll lose the history of the LGBTQ community in Maine,” Susie Bock, coordinator special collections at USM’s Glickman Library, which houses the collection, told News Center Maine.
You can learn more about the collection by going to usm.maine.edu/library/specialcollections/lgbt-overview, where you can request a descriptive brochure.
Grants available
LGBTQ+ nonprofits may be eligible for funding through Maine Community Foundation’s Equity Fund.
The fund helps strengthen LGBTQ+ organizations and supports initiatives that work toward inclusive, diverse, prejudice-free communities for the LGBTQ+ population and all people in Maine.
In 2021, the fund awarded seven grants totaling $48,940, plus three grants totaling $21,000 from donor-advised funds at MaineCF.
Last year’s grantees included Church of Safe Injection (resources to LGBTQIA+ community members who lack financial security); the Mabel Wadsworth Women’s Health Center (for gender-affirming hormone therapy and LGBTQ+ care); and Outright Lewiston Auburn.
The fund’s priorities include supporting organizations or projects that increase access to health care or reduce health disparities, reduce race-based disparities or barriers to opportunities, reduce violence and/or harassment and promote respect and understanding.
The deadline for grant applications is Sept. 15.
More: mainecf.org
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