1. Be sure to check out upcoming events and dates in your local community news and neighborhoods. LGBT Fun Facts & Events Creating Diversity Awareness in the Workplace July 2011 Newsletter LGBT Pride Gay pride or LGBT pride refers to a world wide movement and philosophy asserting that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals should be proud of their sexual orientation and gender identity. Gay pride advocates work for equal "rights and benefits" for LGBT people. The movement has three main premises: that people should be proud of their sexual orientation and gender identity, that sexual diversity is a gift, and that sexual orientation and gender identity are inherent and cannot be intentionally altered. Recognition of Same-Sex Unions in the State of Illinois June 1, 2011 - Illinois recognizes same-sex unions in the form of civil unions that provide same-sex couples the rights of marriage under state law. Civil unions were legalized in Illinois on January 31, 2011, after Governor Pat Quinn signed legislation, and the law went into effect on June 1, 2011. The legislation that legalized civil unions in Illinois also allows opposite-sex civil unions and "reciprocity", recognition of substantially similar legal relationships, including same-sex marriages and civil unions, legally entered into in another jurisdictions. The Staff Management | SMX DPIC includes: Kenyatta Draper, Lupe Gonzalez, Katie Smith, Jenny Reints, Pat Lach, Avery Yancey, Dayna Corona, Jim Keyerleber, Jessica Lewis, Justin Schwartz, Andrew Crouse, Robert Cook, Maurice Proffit, Jennifer Fielding and Lloyd Weathers

2. LGBT Groups, Holocaust Museum Partner to Bring Gay History to Dallas About 100,000 gay men were arrested in Nazi Germany, targeted by Adolph Hitler’s barbaric regime as an obstacle to building an Aryan population. An exhibit that opened June 3 at Dallas Holocaust Museum helps bring some of that hidden LGBT history to life. Despite the massive amount of literature about the Holocaust, little was known about the gay victims of the Nazis until the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum opened in 1993 and began doing research. At that time, Paragraph 175, the statute dating from the Weimar Republic that was used to arrest gays, was still on the books in Germany. It remained law, with the brutal amendments that Hitler added, until 1994. The exhibit created by the USHMM, called Nazi Persecution of Homosexuals 1933-1945 and opening at the Dallas Holocaust Museum in time for Gay Pride Month, came to Dallas through a partnership formed between the museum and members of the LGBT community. President Obama Signs DADT Repeal into Law On December 22, 2010, President Obama signed into law a bill finally clearing the path for ending the discriminatory “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” policy. According to the repeal law, DADT is not repealed until the President informs Congress that the Department of Defense has prepared the necessary policies and regulations to implement repeal and those policies and regulations are consistent with military standards for readiness, effectiveness, unit cohesion, and recruiting and retention. After the President does this, a 60 day waiting period must elapse before DADT is repealed once and for all. In a Pentagon memo released on January 28, 2011, it appears that training for repeal implementation could begin in a matter of months, consistent with President Obama’s timeline commitment of months, not years. In response to the memo, HRC urged for the repeal to be carried out expeditiously. HRC also called for additional changes, such as parity in service members' benefits, that could be accomplished through revised regulations that add same-sex committed partners to the definitions of “dependent,” “family member,” or other similar terms. Obama Signs Hate Crimes Bill Into Law October 2009 - President Obama on Wednesday signed a law that makes it a federal crime to assault an individual because of his or her sexual orientation or gender identity. The expanded federal hate crimes law, hailed by supporters as the first major federal gay rights legislation, was added to a $680 billion defense authorization bill that Obama signed at a packed White House ceremony. The hate crimes measure was named for Matthew Shepard,a gay Wyoming teenager who died after being kidnapped and severely beaten in October 1998, and James Byrd Jr., an African-American man dragged to death in Texas the same year. Great Movies to Watch With celebrating LGBT Pride during the month, check out some ground-breaking movies that changed the views of the world. Maine Legislature Upholds Protections for Transgender People; House Passes Anti-Bullying Legislation Late Tuesday, the Maine House of Representatives voted to reject a bill (LD 1046) that would have removed protections for transgender people from the Maine Human Rights Act. On Wednesday, the Senate voted to do the same. Wednesday was further significant in that the House also passed anti-bullying legislation (LD 1237) aimed at making Maine’s schools safer learning environments for all students. LD 1237 – the Anti-Bullying Bill – now heads to the Senate for their consideration. If passed, the bill would, for the first time in Maine, define bullying and proactively attempt to prevent it from happening. Had LD 1046 passed, public institutions (including schools) and businesses would have been allowed to discriminate against transgender people with no legal repercussions. Fortunately, lawmakers in both chambers of Maine’s Legislature did not allow this to happen. In the House of Representatives, the bill failed on a vote of 61-81 Tuesday night; the next day, just 11 senators supported passing the measure, compared to 23 who voted to keep the existing laws in place. Anatomy of a Hate Crime (2001)/The Matthew Shepard Story (2003) Synopsis: Fact-based drama centering on the brutal 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard, an openly homosexual college student in Wyoming, by two homophobic, trouble-making teens and their co-conspirator girlfriends which prompted an outcry of support for the Shepard family and tougher hate-crime laws by liberal activists, but also support for Matthew's killers by religious leaders and homophobic activists. Awards: The Matthew Shepard Story won an Emmy for Outstanding Actress in a Miniseries of a movie (Stockard Channing) Boys Don’t Cry (1999) Synopsis: The story of the life of Brandon Teena, a transgendered teen who preferred life in a male identity until it was discovered he was born biologically female. Awards: Won the Oscar for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role: Hilary Swank and Nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Chloë Sevigny Milk (2008) Synopsis: The story of Harvey Milk, and his struggles as an American gay activist who fought for gay rights and became California's first openly gay elected official. Awards: Won the Oscar for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role Sean Penn and Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen, Dustin Lance Black Brokeback Mountain (2005) Synopsis: The story of a forbidden and secretive relationship between two cowboys and their lives over the years. Awards: Best Achievement in Directing (Ang Lee), Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Picture, Orignial Score (Gustavo Santaolalla) and Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay (Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana)