Difference between revisions of "Welcome to QueerBio.com"

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<h2 align="center"><em>'''DID YOU KNOW?'''</em></h2>
 
<h2 align="center"><em>'''DID YOU KNOW?'''</em></h2>
<h3 align="center">'''Sportswriters and Sportscasters of the LGBTQ Community'''</h3>
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<h3 align="center">'''Justice of the Peace, Magistrates, and District Court Judges Who Are LGBTQ'''</h3>
[[File:lgbtradio.jpg|200px|link=Sportswriters and Sportscasters of the LGBTQ Community]]
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[[File:lgbtqlaw.png|200px|link=Justice of the Peace, Magistrates, and District Court Judges Who Are LGBTQ]]
  
 
<p>Sportswriters and sportscasters provide insightful commentary to the world of sports.  They can provide live running commentary, play-by-play action, post-game assessments, and critiques of sports and their participants.</p>   
 
<p>Sportswriters and sportscasters provide insightful commentary to the world of sports.  They can provide live running commentary, play-by-play action, post-game assessments, and critiques of sports and their participants.</p>   
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<p>Sports themselves tend to be professions that have historically been intolerant of sexual diversity.  Only recently have several sports adopted diversity policies which encourage LGBTQ players to self-identify.  Given this, it is important to have commentators and analysts who are members of the LGBTQ community.  Some in the profession are gay and out, while it is reported that many remain in the closet.</p>
 
<p>Sports themselves tend to be professions that have historically been intolerant of sexual diversity.  Only recently have several sports adopted diversity policies which encourage LGBTQ players to self-identify.  Given this, it is important to have commentators and analysts who are members of the LGBTQ community.  Some in the profession are gay and out, while it is reported that many remain in the closet.</p>
  
<p>Many sportscasters and sportswriters are retired athletes themselves, such as Canada's [[Mark Tewksbury]] providing commentary on swimming for the CBC, or the UK's [[Gareth Thomas]] on rugby.  The majority tend to be gay malesHowever, there is a surprising number of transgender individuals in the profession, including the UK's [[Nicky Bandini]] of the Guardian newspaper and Americans [[Christina Kahrl]] of ESPN and [[Mike Penner]] of the Las Angeles Times.</p>
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<p>A Justice of the Peace (JP), Magistrate, or District Court Judge is a legal authority retained to administer and enforce the laws pertaining to misdemeanors and bylaws within a specific region.  The official title can depend on the country, but their origin goes back to medieval England when the king appointed a regional representative (usually a Knight or local gentry) to enforce his lawsIn some countries, the individual need not be required to have formal legal training, though that is more and more the case today.  The position is usually filled by appointment as has been done historically, but in some countries it is an elected position.</p>
  
<p>A sports media LGBTQ network would be helpful to the profession and its members and the wider sports professionA collective voice can add weight and credibility to the LGBTQ community.  Issues of sexual diversity are becoming more prominent in sports, and it helps to have a strong coalition of commentators and critics of sports to interpret this trend and provide insightIt would also be a helpful resource for those in the industry who are looking to come out and be visible.  To this end, the organization Sports Media LGBT+ was founded by Great Britain's [[Jon Holmes]].</p>
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<p>As with any legal system, having minorities represented within the judiciary imparts a sense of confidence in the legal system by that communityThis is certainly the case for the LGBTQ community which faces many instances of discrimination and intoleranceMany countries permit marriages to be performed by a Justice of the Peace, for example, which is a contentious issue of equal rights for the LGBTQ community around the world.</p>  
  
<p>A 2019 study of LGBTQ sports media personalities (see Further Research below) found that, of all participants in the study who were out to colleagues, almost all were unconditionally accepted when doing so.  This shows the power of acceptance of sexual diversity within the sports profession and is encouraging for a trend to more out sportswriters and sportscasters.</p>
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<p>It is imperative that cases are decided by judges who weigh the facts and apply the law without bias. But it is also important that the courts are perceived to be impartial, as the courts owe their very legitimacy to the public’s acceptance of their rulings as fair and just. This is why diversity on the bench matters.</p>
  
<p>We have identified prominent LGBTQ sportscasters and sportswriters from Australia, Canada, Germany, Great Britain, Israel, and the United States.  To read more and see the complete list, click '''[[Sportswriters and Sportscasters of the LGBTQ Community|HERE]]'''</p>
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<p>Unfortunately, there are no statistics whatsoever on how many JPs, magistrates, and District Court Judges are LGBTQ. Its one of the many gaps in the data about this group of legal authorities.  The UK's Stonewall, in their report ''Gay in Britain'' found that half of lesbian, gay and bisexual people would expect to face barriers to becoming a magistrate because of their sexual orientation, and one in six would expect worse treatment than a heterosexual person if appearing before a magistrate for a minor criminal offence.  Because of this, Stonewall recommended that advisory committees should actively encourage applications from LGBTQ candidates.</p> 
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<p>We have identified prominent LGBTQ Justices of the Peace, Magistrates and District Court Judges from Australia, Canada, Great Britain, Malta, Spain, The Netherlands, and the United States.  To read more and see the complete list, click '''[[Justice of the Peace, Magistrates, and District Court Judges Who Are LGBTQ|HERE]]'''</p>
  
 
'''Directory of past 'Did You Know?' Articles''' [[Past 'Did You Know?' Articles|See Here]]
 
'''Directory of past 'Did You Know?' Articles''' [[Past 'Did You Know?' Articles|See Here]]

Revision as of 13:38, 5 November 2019

DID YOU KNOW?

Justice of the Peace, Magistrates, and District Court Judges Who Are LGBTQ

Lgbtqlaw.png

Sportswriters and sportscasters provide insightful commentary to the world of sports. They can provide live running commentary, play-by-play action, post-game assessments, and critiques of sports and their participants.

Sports themselves tend to be professions that have historically been intolerant of sexual diversity. Only recently have several sports adopted diversity policies which encourage LGBTQ players to self-identify. Given this, it is important to have commentators and analysts who are members of the LGBTQ community. Some in the profession are gay and out, while it is reported that many remain in the closet.

A Justice of the Peace (JP), Magistrate, or District Court Judge is a legal authority retained to administer and enforce the laws pertaining to misdemeanors and bylaws within a specific region. The official title can depend on the country, but their origin goes back to medieval England when the king appointed a regional representative (usually a Knight or local gentry) to enforce his laws. In some countries, the individual need not be required to have formal legal training, though that is more and more the case today. The position is usually filled by appointment as has been done historically, but in some countries it is an elected position.

As with any legal system, having minorities represented within the judiciary imparts a sense of confidence in the legal system by that community. This is certainly the case for the LGBTQ community which faces many instances of discrimination and intolerance. Many countries permit marriages to be performed by a Justice of the Peace, for example, which is a contentious issue of equal rights for the LGBTQ community around the world.

It is imperative that cases are decided by judges who weigh the facts and apply the law without bias. But it is also important that the courts are perceived to be impartial, as the courts owe their very legitimacy to the public’s acceptance of their rulings as fair and just. This is why diversity on the bench matters.

Unfortunately, there are no statistics whatsoever on how many JPs, magistrates, and District Court Judges are LGBTQ. Its one of the many gaps in the data about this group of legal authorities. The UK's Stonewall, in their report Gay in Britain found that half of lesbian, gay and bisexual people would expect to face barriers to becoming a magistrate because of their sexual orientation, and one in six would expect worse treatment than a heterosexual person if appearing before a magistrate for a minor criminal offence. Because of this, Stonewall recommended that advisory committees should actively encourage applications from LGBTQ candidates.

We have identified prominent LGBTQ Justices of the Peace, Magistrates and District Court Judges from Australia, Canada, Great Britain, Malta, Spain, The Netherlands, and the United States. To read more and see the complete list, click HERE

Directory of past 'Did You Know?' Articles See Here


The goal of QueerBio.com is to be the definitive online biographical reference source for the international LGBTQ community. Its database lists over 16,000 contemporary and historical figures who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, two-spirit, or gender fluid (LGBTQ) and includes artists, sports figures, politicians, entertainers, business leaders, academics, activists, and more. The database is widely international in scope and is an ideal source for research and analysis with full search and sort functionality.

The mission is to inspire, educate, and motivate all generations of LGBTQ individuals and others through a collective knowledge of this international community.

Managing Editors: Mark S. Bonham, Connie Bonello, Gordon Dunbar

Search for a Biography

To search for an individual from the database of over 16,000 biographies, simply type the name in the Search Box located in the top right hand corner of this Home Page and click on GO. Similarly, you can search for a common characteristic such as Country, City, Nobel Prize winners, writers, and so on.

Alternatively, you can view and scroll through the entire list of biographies by viewing the All Biographies section.

Library of Congress Historic Collection - LGBTQ+ Studies Web Archive

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QueerBio.com has been chosen for the Library of Congress Web Archiving Program - Preserving important cultural artifacts by acquiring, cataloging, preserving and serving collections material of historical importance to foster education and scholarship.

Announcing Our New Documentary Project - Being Different: 101 Global LGBTQ Individuals Who Changed the World

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Despite adversity and discrimination, LGBTQ individuals have excelled throughout history. Yet historians and academics have conveniently participated in the heterosexist erasure of these LGBTQ contributions by omitting the LGBTQ status of prominent historical figures from academic and historical documents. Accordingly, there are relatively few comprehensive projects which document and showcase the influence of these LGBTQ efforts.

Being Different: 101 Global LGBTQ Individuals Who Changed The World will be an original documentary outlining the contributions that members of the LGBTQ community have made, individually and collectively, to changing the world.

We are now Crowdfunding to get this project off the ground. We would love to have you as part of our team. You can help us and SUPPORT THIS PROJECT!

SEE THE TRAILER, READ MORE AND CROWDFUND HERE

Our goal is to make QueerBio.com the go-to website for global biographical information on LGBTQ identified individuals. To do this requires a serious commitment of people and resources, so we need your help to fund and help this project grow.


Click here for more information.

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Sign up to receive our informative bi-weekly newsletter. Included in the newsletter is the updated 'DID YOU KNOW?' column, a sample of new biographies added since the previous newsletter, and relevant news features pertaining to QueerBio.com.

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Bonham Centre Awards Gala

Annual Awards established in 2007 to recognize individuals or groups that have made a significant contribution to the advancement and education of human rights issues surrounding sexual education. Click here to find out more about the Bonham Centre Awards, past recipients, and present nominees.

Books Available From QueerBio.Com

New books available

A Path to Diversity: LGBTQ Participation in the Working World (Mark S. Bonham, 2017) investigates the current state of employment markets around the world for the LGBTQ community. Included is a discussion of equality in the workplace and why it is important to both the employer and employee, the wage gap, which professions are attractive to LGBTQ individuals and why, and the role of unions and government legislation. A survey of seventy five professions provides a status report for each, and seventy two biographies of influential LGBTQ professionals from around the world is included. 242 pages

Notables: 101 Global LBGTQ People Who Changed the World (Mark S. Bonham, 2015) reveals a group of select global Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) individuals whose accomplishments in their profession changed the world in some relevant way. Included are founders of various social movements, innovators in sports, leaders in business and politics, explorers and discoverers, instigators in religious movements, thinkers in philosophy, infamous villains, creators of new academic fields of study, and risk takers in the arts, culture, and entertainment worlds. 212 pages.

Champions: Biographies of Global LGBTQ Pioneers (Mark S. Bonham, 2014) reveals a group of select artists, writers, politicians, lawyers, sports figures, activists, and religious figures from around the world who have helped shape the history of the LGBTQ community. Presented in a convenient notebook format. 114 pages.

READ MORE AND PURCHASE PRINT or EBOOK COPIES HERE

Order for yourself, and the books also make an ideal gift for friends and family while supporting the development of QueerBio.Com