Gay Nurses Apologize to Lesbian Whose Partner Died Without Her

You may remember the story of Janice Langbehn, the Seattle woman whose partner Lisa Pond suffered an aneurysm on an R-Family cruise out of Miami in February 2007. Even after a power of attorney naming Langbehn was sent to Jackson Memorial Hospital, the hospital refused to allow Langbehn access to Pond, who died about 18 hours after being admitted. Langbehn was finally allowed to see Pond as a priest delivered last rites.

On Thursday in Miami, several nurses from the gay Lavender caucus of the union serving Jackson Memorial hospital apologized to Langbehn for what she went through:

"The apologies came at a town hall-style meeting Thursday night at Unity on the Bay church, in which Langbehn returned to Miami as a speaker. Baker, Molina and two other Jackson nurses, Jim Nicholson and Diane Poirier, along with 60 other people, attended the meeting. Langbehn, whose lawsuit against Jackson was dismissed in September by a federal court in Miami, gracefully welcomed the nurses’ personal gesture. But she still want the hospital to apologize formally."

Langbehn's case against the hospital, you may recall, was rejected by a federal court in September.

Federal Court Dismisses Lesbian Mother's Visitation Case Against Miami Hospital Where Her Partner Died Alone

You may remember the story of Janice Langbehn, the Seattle woman whose partner Lisa Pond suffered an aneurysm on an R-Family cruise out of Miami in February 2007. Even after a power of attorney naming Langbehn was sent to Jackson Memorial Hospital, the hospital refused to allow Langbehn access to Pond, who died about 18 hours after being admitted. Langbehn was finally allowed to see Pond as a priest delivered last rites.

Today, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida rejected Lambda Legal's lawsuit (filed in June 2008) on behalf of Langbehn, the Estate of Lisa Pond and their three adopted children.

Via press release: "Today’s ruling comes after the Public Health Trust of the Miami Dade County, the governing body of Jackson Memorial Hospital, filed a motion to dismiss the case. The court ruled that the hospital has neither an obligation to allow their patients’ visitors nor any obligation whatsoever to provide their patients’ families, healthcare surrogates, or visitors with access to patients in their trauma unit. The court has given the Langbehn-Pond family until October 16 to review the ruling and consider all legal options."

Said Beth Littrell, Staff Attorney in Lambda Legal's Southern Regional Office in Atlanta: “The court’s decision paints a tragically stark picture of how vulnerable same-sex couples and their families really are during times of crisis. We hope that because of Janice’s courage to seek justice for her family in this case that more people better understand the costs of antigay discrimination. This should never happen to anyone.”

UPDATE: More from Jan Langbehn on her blog.

Very, very disappointing.

Miami Newsman Charles Perez Speaks Out About Firing

Miami newsman Charles Perez, who was fired last week after filing a discrimination complaint with the Miami-Dade County Equal Opportunity Board against his former station WPLG, speaks out about the firing and the addition of a retaliation charge to the claim, in The Daily Beast.

Perez also discusses the larger climate in mainstream news: "The news business has become a place of fear, where principle and the news have become the casualties and ratings and dollars the prizes."

Says Perez: "I used to believe in my company, WPLG and The Washington Post (which owns Post-Newsweek Stations). Now, The Washington Post is embroiled in a scandal over selling dinner spots at the publisher’s dinner table, offering access to power in exchange for cash, and my own station told me to shut up, go to the back of the bus, and they won’t fire me. So what do they stand for? It’s not clear. If anything has taken a back seat, it seems to be integrity. One of my colleagues, a higher-up at the station, told me: 'The weekends will be better for you, anyway, Charles. You and Keith [my partner] want to have kids. It’s a lot less high-profile there.' It was a suggestion that never would have been made to one of my straight colleagues, male or female. The only thing I could take from it was that my profile as a gay man, especially if I were to have kids and, God forbid, get married, would render me less promotable and less advertiser-friendly. In fact, over the previous five months, I’d been told, 'Don’t get married, Charles. We don’t need that.' I’d also been told not to have children. In essence: 'You’re the main anchor and you’re gay, but let’s not push it.' To me, having the family I want is not pushing it. Living with love, commitment, and dignity is not pushing it."

Perez says he is "relying on a new county ordinance, enacted last November, that added sexual orientation as a protected class" to support his complaint. He hopes that succeeding with his claim would help to expand state anti-discrimination laws and support ENDA.

Why I Committed Career Suicide [the daily beast]

Miami Newscaster Charles Perez Fired After Filing Complaint

On Tuesday, I posted about Miami news anchor Charles Perez, and his filing of a discrimination complaint against his employer, claiming that WPLG had demoted him because the station was uncomfortable with "the increasingly high profile of [his] sexual orientation."

Now, Perez has been fired.

TMZ reports: "Perez believes he was fired in retaliation for filing the complaint with the EOB. The station claims Perez's recent "actions" left then 'no real choice' but to fire him. Here's the catch -- the boss who demoted him is himself gay and issued a statement saying, 'As a gay man myself, I can safely say the station does not discriminate against gay people.' The station also denies the allegation. But Perez isn't buying it, and tells TMZ he plans on filing a '7 or 8 figure lawsuit' against both the station and it's parent company, the Washington Post."

According to the Miami Herald, "On March 16, a private e-mail from Perez written to a family therapist was forwarded to everyone in the reporter's online address book. The e-mail said Perez told the therapist he needed to work through his 'gender identity issues.' Three days later, Pohovey called Perez into his office for a 'new' performance review, this time saying that Perez came across 'too soft,' didn't sound 'main anchor-like' and smiled too much with co-anchor Laurie Jennings. 'Like girlfriends.' On April 3, Perez went to court seeking a restraining order against his former partner, Dennis Ricardo Peña, whom he accused of leaking the private e-mail. Later that month, Perez claims he 'began to disappear'' from station promotional spots. He lost the weeknight anchor seat July 22."

Gay Miami News Anchor Charles Perez Calls Demotion 'Discrimination'

Gay WPLG-ABC news anchor Charles Perez, who was demoted from weeknights to weekends, has filed a discrimination complaint with Miami-Dade's Equal Opportunity Board claiming that the station was uncomfortable with "the increasingly high profile of [his] sexual orientation," the Miami Herald reports:

"The filing summary details Perez's quick descent at Channel 10, which began weeks after a March 3 performance review, when Perez says that WPLG News Director Bill Pohovey told him he was 'too anchor-like and too ‘Brian Williams' in my delivery.' On March 16, a private e-mail from Perez written to a family therapist was forwarded to everyone in the reporter's online address book. The e-mail said Perez told the therapist he needed to work through his 'gender identity issues.' Three days later, Pohovey called Perez into his office for a 'new' performance review, this time saying that Perez came across 'too soft,' didn't sound 'main anchor-like' and smiled too much with co-anchor Laurie Jennings. 'Like girlfriends.' On April 3, Perez went to court seeking a restraining order against his former partner, Dennis Ricardo Peña, whom he accused of leaking the private e-mail. Later that month, Perez claims he 'began to disappear'' from station promotional spots. He lost the weeknight anchor seat July 22."

Read the Perez complaint (PDF) and the station's rebuttal (DOC).

You may remember Perez from the nationally-syndicated Charles Perez Show,
AFTER THE JUMP...

News: Tel Aviv, John Berry, Betty White, Miami, Lobster, Mercy

Five gay couples wed in ceremony on Tel Aviv beach as Pride celebration climaxes.

Pete Wentz and Ashlee Simpson tape for No H8.

WATCH: Betty White plays beer pong.

City of Miami passes Domestic Partner ordinance: "The domestic partners benefits measure extends to unmarried gay and straight employees of the city who register their relationships with Miami-Dade County's domestic partner registry."

White House Office of Personnel Management head John Berry delivers impassioned speech at Justice Dept: "My family has never known divorce. Were we married? No, but I dare anyone to say that we were not in love.... Where do you stand? Honoring love as precious and true wherever you find it, or with those who would demean or deny it? I urge you: Stand where you can be proud. Stand with service and truth. Stand with love. Stand for liberty and justice for all."

San Diego County school district apologizes for refusing to let student deliver report on Harvey Milk during class time: "In a letter to Natalie and her parents, Supt. Robert Graeff and Mt. Woodson Principal Theresa Grace apologized and said they had acted out of an abundance of caution for the 'tender sensibilities' of Natalie's fellow students. 'It is our hope that -- together -- we can all view this incident as a learning experience and emerge wiser from the entire experience,' wrote Graeff and Grace, on behalf of themselves and the school board."

Bret Michaels releases lengthy statement on Tonys mishap that left him bloody.

Yellow lobster is 1 in 30 million.

On the bus to Kayseri, Turkey: "Kayseri is home to a group of gay men and lesbians who have fled Iran and are now waiting in Turkey to be resettled in a Western country. The government of Turkey does not allow non-European refugees to stay in Turkey, and it is the responsibility of UNHCR to find a host country to take them in. Currently there are over 18,000 refugees in Turkey, some of whom have been waiting for over 2 years to be resettled elsewhere. While in Turkey, the authorities insist that refugees can only stay in one of 30 designated small cities. These locations are assigned based on the asylum seeker’s nationality, gender, age, and reason for seeking asylum."

Madonna confirms Mercy adoption.

Anti-gay hate graffiti under investigation in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Hate crime charges against Staten Island man dropped: "A spokesman for District Attorney Daniel Donovan would not comment because the case is sealed, but confirmed the hate crime case against James Champagne, 24, of Stapleton, has been dismissed. Champagne had been accused of beating up another man in West Brighton July 29, and during the attack he allegedly yelled, 'we don't like faggots on Barker Street.'"

GQ interviews Barney Frank.

Beyond Hatred: PBS to air documentary about French gay man murdered by skinheads.

The Daily Beast interviews openly gay Iraq vet and candidate for Congress Anthony Woods, who was discharged under 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell': “I knew getting into it that if I took a stand, it would be a costly decision and it certainly has become one. But people have to take a stand for what's right. There's a reason this policy is on the front burner now... We're a country fighting two wars, having trouble recruiting, yet we want to turn away some of our most talented, most well-trained soldiers?”